Recipe Book

Grains
Risotto without causing a stir.
If you’ve ever attempted to make risotto, you know it
requires constant attention and stirring. If you don’t stir,
the risotto sauce ends up thin and flat instead of thick
and creamy.
This is because the act of stirring rice grains in hot liquid
forces the grains to agitate against one another, breaking
open their cell walls and releasing sticky granules of
starch into the surrounding cooking liquid. As the starch
oozes out, the liquid begins to thicken and develops
a creamy taste and texture.
Continued stirring helps to prevent the starch from gelling
and forming lumps. It also ensures even heat throughout
the liquid and equal exposure of each grain to the stock.
This can mean 45 minutes of constant stirring, which can
leave you with that niggling twinge in your elbow that
doesn’t do a great deal to help your tennis swing!
Tip:
The Pressure Cook Risotto setting uses controlled
temperature to create tiny simmering bubbles in the liquid
to agitate the grains against one another and release the
starch for simple, stir-free risotto in a fraction of the time.
Softened starch
Dislodged starch dissolves
into the surrounding liquid
Undisturbed rice
while cooking
Rice agitated
by stirring
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