Tag Archives: risotto recipe

The Magic of Rice Cooker Risotto

Risotto -- made in the rice cooker -- for the easiest rendition of all.

Who doesn’t need an extra pair of hands when cooking the holiday feast?

If you have a rice cooker in your kitchen, you are good to go then.

Because it’s almost like having an extra helping hand.

Especially when it comes to making risotto.

Imagine being able to make this creamy rice dish without having to stir it constantly. The rice cooker will free you up from that.

“Risotto Milanese” is from the 10th anniversary edition of “The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook” (Harvard Common Press) that was written by my two good friends, Julie Kaufmann (my former editor at the San Jose Mercury News), and Beth Hensperger, a James Beard award-winning and most prolific cookbook author.

The book boasts 250 recipes, many of which you’d never guess could be made in a rice cooker, including tamales, puddings and porridges.

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When Risotto Isn’t Made with Rice

Barley risotto with shrimp -- hearty, chewy and wonderful.

Ever since dining at AQ Restaurant in San Francisco last year where I enjoyed it for the first time, I’ve been rather fixated on barley risotto.

Oh, don’t get me wrong; I still adore the traditional version made with tender yet toothsome short-grain Italian rice.

But when it’s made with barley, it takes on a whole different personality — heartier, chewier and with a more roasty-toasty flavor.

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