No fooling here. I’m sharing a real recipe for Rice Cooker Risotto that will rock your world if you make risotto but hate the tedious stir-stir-stir nature of the usual version.
I have a more traditional take on risotto on Bready or Not, one that uses pancetta. I will never make this old version again.
The rice cooker is the way to go. Instead of being stuck at the stove for about an hour, babysitting a pot and stirring a lot, I get to add ingredients in two batches and then spend about 10-15 minutes stirring at the end. That’s it.
Please note that I’ve now made this several times using my Zojirushi, which holds 3 cups max. This recipe fills the bowl pretty well, which means the hardest part is not spilling ingredients during the final stirring phase. If you have a larger pot, then things will be much easier! In my cooker, the white rice is done in 45 minutes. This cooking phase will vary with machines, of course, but generally speaking, this is a recipe that will be done in about an hour with little effort involved.
Bready or Not: Rice Cooker Risotto
Equipment
- rice cooker (3 cup minimum capacity)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons dried shallots
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 3 to 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth divided
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick) divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more for serving
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 ounces shredded Parmesan plus more for serving
Instructions
- In the bowl of the rice cooker, place shallots, garlic, arborio rice, wine, 2 cups broth, 4 Tablespoons butter in pieces, salt, and pepper. Close the lid and set to cook on WHITE RICE SETTING.
- As soon as the timer goes off, set the rice cooker to WARM if it does not automatically do so. Open the lid and add the lemon juice, peas, Parmesan, and 1 cup broth. Cut the last 4 Tablespoons of butter into pieces and add to bowl. Stir until the butter and cheese are melted–this is the hardest part of the whole recipe, as the bowl may be quite full.
- Drizzle in more broth about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each time, until the risotto reaches the desired consistency. (Note that having leftover broth may be a good thing if you also have leftover risotto, as the risotto will thicken a lot when chilled and will need some broth stirred in to loosen it during reheating.)
- Once the consistency is right, add more cheese, salt, and pepper, if desired. Serve risotto by itself or with added meat such as chicken, and of course, more of the white wine to wash down the food.
