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Adam Liaw's Mushroom Risotto Masterclass Has Changed The Way We'll Cook Risotto Forever

Risotto is easy

The idea that risotto is a difficult dish to make is entirely a made-for-TV drama.

I love Jamie Oliver, but telling people all those years ago that you have to stir risotto constantly for half an hour while it cooks has done the risotto-making world a huge disservice. I don't know a single professional chef who stirs risotto constantly, and I know quite a few who don't stir it at all (until the very end). I find that a constantly stirred risotto is too gluggy because the grains have been mashed together rather than remaining separate.

It's not only Jamie's fault. Reality TV taught us that risotto was a "death dish", but that has nothing to do with risotto being difficult and quite a lot to do with the fact that on reality TV cooking shows, there's often a verrrry long time – sometimes hours – between a dish being cooked and it being tasted and judged. Risotto changes texture very quickly, which is why I recommend reserving a little stock so that you can adjust it at the last second. You could make the most perfect risotto in the world, but let it sit for an hour in a TV studio and you'll have hard plaster.

This isn't the first time TV has lied to you and it won't be the last, but now that you know risotto is as easy as cooking a pot of rice, there's nothing to stop you from achieving risotto perfection.

Dried porcini mushrooms add intense savoury flavours.IStock

Dried mushrooms

Almost all mushrooms are high in natural glutamate, and some (like shiitake) are also high in guanylate. These two compounds give mushrooms a strong savoury flavour, and when dried, these savoury characteristics go into overdrive, so a little dried mushroom can go a long way. It's like the difference in savouriness between a piece of fresh pork belly and a piece of pancetta.

Dried porcini can be expensive, so if you want to save a few dollars, a little hack that I often use at home is to substitute dried shiitake for the porcini. It's a different mushroom with a different flavour, but you'll get a similar savoury boost at less than a tenth of the price.

Really, the microwave?

Yes, really. If you want to stop fresh mushrooms from absorbing too much oil when you cook them, the microwave is a game-changer.

Mushrooms are made up of a network of fibres called hyphae, which trap a lot of water and air. Cooking mushrooms damages the fibres, releasing water and air, but sucking up oil in the process. Microwaving mushrooms helps break down the fibres, so that when you fry them, they absorb far less oil. It also releases the water trapped within the hyphae, giving you cooked mushrooms that are ready for frying and a few tablespoons of concentrated mushroom stock to use in your dish.

Don't worry about overcooking the mushrooms. The fibre in mushrooms is called chitin, which is hardier than the cellulose that makes up the cell wall of vegetables. Its toughness helps the mushroom push through rocks and plant material as it grows, so it doesn't break down very easily when cooked. This is why, when you cook a mushroom, it retains its shape rather than breaking down as a carrot or onion might.

Beat butter and parmesan into the risotto at the end to make it creamy.IStock

Mantecatura

We discussed mantecatura back when we were analysing Australian bolognese. It's the process of emulsification that provides a rich texture to pasta dishes, but for a creamy risotto, it's the whole ball game.

"Creaminess" as a texture in pasta or risotto is rarely from cream. Rather, the emulsification of starch, protein and fat create the texture we're after. In carbonara, this is cheese and egg emulsified with pasta water. In risotto, the starch and protein from the rice is agitated with grated cheese, butter or oil to create a creamy texture.

For one or two serves of risotto, this is best done by finishing the risotto in a frying pan, adding cheese and butter or oil and tossing it in a wave motion like you might if you were tossing a wok. For larger serves, vigorously beating in the cheese and butter with a wooden spoon is entirely fine.

You'll Never Guess Which Celebrity Chef Just Launched A Line Of Frozen Dinners

This was not on our 2023 bingo card.

Celebrity chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse have done it. Celebrities like Stanley Tucci and Dolly Parton have done it. We're talking about lending their name and culinary talents to foods you can find in the grocery store.

Now Scottish celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay, owner of Michelin-starred restaurants and host of the long-running cooking competition show "Hell's Kitchen," has entered the fray. His first-ever frozen food line, called By Chef Ramsay, is coming exclusively to Walmart, and he shared the details with "People."

Gordon Ramsay's Frozen '5-Star Dishes' for Home Chefs

The famous chef told People that he's "elated" to share his favorite dishes, and he hopes "they inspire the home chef in everyone."

The brand's website calls the eight varieties of frozen meals "5-star dishes." The dishes include:

By Gordon Ramsay/Allrecipes

We haven't had the opportunity to try any of these frozen meals yet, so we'll reserve judgment. But in the back of our minds we're thinking that there's never been a frozen lasagna as good as a homemade lasagna, ever, and unless Ramsay has pulled off a miracle, we're skeptical about the five-star description.

The Internet Reacts to Gordon Ramsay's Frozen Meals

We may be (mostly) reserving judgment, but the internet isn't, of course. Instagram's The Impulsive Buy posted a photo of two of the meals, the Risotto and the Four Cheese Macaroni, each with a $5.94 price tag. Followers reacted to the fact that the celebrity chef chose to create frozen meals, or as one follower put it, "Boujee tv dinners."

"I am really shocked he released these. I feel like we're being punked or he lost a bet," said one commenter. Another said, "I can't believe he'd put his name on something like this lol he hates frozen meals??"

One commenter had the chance to try one of the meals but didn't have anything nice to say about it. "I got the mac&cheese one. Definitely not worth 6$. I was not impressed," she said.

Chef Ramsay, once told "Bon Appetit" that he wouldn't eat any frozen meal because they all taste the same, and it's easy to prepare "a quick meal using fresh produce, such as a simple stir-fry."

So if you're Chef Ramsay, and you choose to put your face on the box of frozen meals, people will be surprised, dismayed, and expect something much better than what's already out there. We'll be waiting to see how this new frozen dinner line does and if it lives up to the Gordon Ramsay name.

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'Easy As Cooking A Pot Of Rice': Adam Liaw's Mushroom Risotto Is A Simple Low-stir Sensation

Risotto is easy

The idea that risotto is a difficult dish to make is entirely a made-for-TV drama.

I love Jamie Oliver, but telling people all those years ago that you have to stir risotto constantly for half an hour while it cooks has done the risotto-making world a huge disservice. I don't know a single professional chef who stirs risotto constantly, and I know quite a few who don't stir it at all (until the very end). I find that a constantly stirred risotto is too gluggy because the grains have been mashed together rather than remaining separate.

It's not only Jamie's fault. Reality TV taught us that risotto was a "death dish", but that has nothing to do with risotto being difficult and quite a lot to do with the fact that on reality TV cooking shows, there's often a verrrry long time – sometimes hours – between a dish being cooked and it being tasted and judged. Risotto changes texture very quickly, which is why I recommend reserving a little stock so that you can adjust it at the last second. You could make the most perfect risotto in the world, but let it sit for an hour in a TV studio and you'll have hard plaster.

This isn't the first time TV has lied to you and it won't be the last, but now that you know risotto is as easy as cooking a pot of rice, there's nothing to stop you from achieving risotto perfection.

Dried porcini mushrooms add intense savoury flavours.IStock

Dried mushrooms

Almost all mushrooms are high in natural glutamate, and some (like shiitake) are also high in guanylate. These two compounds give mushrooms a strong savoury flavour, and when dried, these savoury characteristics go into overdrive, so a little dried mushroom can go a long way. It's like the difference in savouriness between a piece of fresh pork belly and a piece of pancetta.

Dried porcini can be expensive, so if you want to save a few dollars, a little hack that I often use at home is to substitute dried shiitake for the porcini. It's a different mushroom with a different flavour, but you'll get a similar savoury boost at less than a tenth of the price.

Really, the microwave?

Yes, really. If you want to stop fresh mushrooms from absorbing too much oil when you cook them, the microwave is a game-changer.

Mushrooms are made up of a network of fibres called hyphae, which trap a lot of water and air. Cooking mushrooms damages the fibres, releasing water and air, but sucking up oil in the process. Microwaving mushrooms helps break down the fibres, so that when you fry them, they absorb far less oil. It also releases the water trapped within the hyphae, giving you cooked mushrooms that are ready for frying and a few tablespoons of concentrated mushroom stock to use in your dish.

Don't worry about overcooking the mushrooms. The fibre in mushrooms is called chitin, which is hardier than the cellulose that makes up the cell wall of vegetables. Its toughness helps the mushroom push through rocks and plant material as it grows, so it doesn't break down very easily when cooked. This is why, when you cook a mushroom, it retains its shape rather than breaking down as a carrot or onion might.

Beat butter and parmesan into the risotto at the end to make it creamy.IStock

Mantecatura

We discussed mantecatura back when we were analysing Australian bolognese. It's the process of emulsification that provides a rich texture to pasta dishes, but for a creamy risotto, it's the whole ball game.

"Creaminess" as a texture in pasta or risotto is rarely from cream. Rather, the emulsification of starch, protein and fat create the texture we're after. In carbonara, this is cheese and egg emulsified with pasta water. In risotto, the starch and protein from the rice is agitated with grated cheese, butter or oil to create a creamy texture.

For one or two serves of risotto, this is best done by finishing the risotto in a frying pan, adding cheese and butter or oil and tossing it in a wave motion like you might if you were tossing a wok. For larger serves, vigorously beating in the cheese and butter with a wooden spoon is entirely fine.

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