Isn't risotto just glorified Rice-a-Roni? Explain.?

Question

It's supposedly the "in" thing to eat now. Why that is is a mystery to me!

Answer 1

Risotto is usually made from a small grained rice grown in Italy. When cooked, the rice has a creamy texture, rather than distinct, separate grains. Risotto rice is usually cooked with a creamy broth, and sometimes tiny vegetables. Risotto is tasty and nutritious.

Rice-A-Roni is a long-grained rice and noodle product, made famous by the San Francisco cable car commercials in the 1960's. You sautee the noodles and rice in butter or margarine, then add the hot water and seasoning packet. It's high in sodium, chemical additives, and calories.

Answer 2

No, it tastes much better than rice-a-roni!

How to Make Risotto:

1 small white onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Butter
Salt & pepper

Finely chop one small white onion and saute it in butter.

Pour the Arborio rice into the pan and stir to mix with the onions. Let the rice toast in the pan for a minute or two--it will absorb the flavor from the onions.

While the rice is toasting, heat the vegetable or chicken broth in a separate saucepan to a gentle simmer. Crumble a pinch of saffron threads into the broth or leave out the saffron, and add a cup of mixed vegetables towards the end of the cooking time--shelled peas, diced zucchini, chopped asparagus spears, mushrooms, or chopped fresh artichoke hearts

Using a ladle, add a cup or two of simmering broth to the rice, then stir the rice until it has absorbed the broth. Keep adding broth to the rice and stirring; this cooking technique helps bring the starch out of the rice to combine with the broth for the creamy texture typical of a classic risotto.

You may not need to use all the broth, so when about three-quarters of the broth has been absorbed (usually 15-20 minutes), start tasting the risotto between additions of broth to see if it's done.

For the finishing touch, stir in an additional pat of butter, grate in real Parmesan cheese, and add salt and pepper to taste.

The risotto should be rich, creamy, fragrant, and a beautiful golden color.

Serve the risotto in wide, shallow serving bowls with additional Parmesan cheese grated or shaved on top.

NOTES:
Don't wash the rice before cooking or you'll lose the precious starch coating the rice grains.

Try replacing 1/2 to 1 cup of the broth in the recipe with dry white wine for a more complex flavor. Use a good-quality wine; never cook with anything you wouldn't drink.

Answer 3

Risotto is best made with short- and medium-grain rice, which tends to be stickier than long-grain rice varieties. Risotto is an Italian rice dish. It is made by briefly sautéing the rice in olive oil or butter (often with some onion), then adding a little bit of stock, stirring almost constantly until the rice absorbs the stock, then adding a bit more stock, stirring, adding, stirring, adding until it’s done. It usually takes between 20 and 30 minutes of stirring. When it’s done, the rice is cooked through and bound in a wonderful creamy sauce that is made as the starch leaches out of the rice grains and combines with the stock.

Rice-A-Roni got its name because it's made with rice and tiny bits of pasta (Roni comes from the word macaroni, even though technically it's vermicelli pasta). Rice-A-Roni usually comes in a box that consists of rice, vermicelli, seasonings, and sometimes other ingredients. Rice-A-Roni was first introduced in 1958 in the Northwestern United States, and went nationwide four years later. Its companion, Noodle-Roni was introduced in 1964, and became Pasta-Roni in 1995. In television commercials, it is called "The San Francisco Treat!"

Answer 4

I suppose on the most simplest terms, risotto is "glorified rice-a-roni. however risotto's process of cooking is much longer. It's cooked in broth and stired for a long time. I suggest trying it, you'll never know until you try

oh, and by the way, rice isn't pasta differently shaped. It's a grain of plant...that's why we have rice patties......

Answer 5

Risotto is a italian version of cooked rice and is prepared by cooking in olive oil and butter and then seasoning may be added. Rice-a-roni is a product of quaker oats food company which basically contains uncooked rice and seasoning mix in a package. So I guess you can fancy it by calling it "Glorified" .

Answer 6

It's all in the name, marketing and presentation. Rice-a-Roni was then, risotto is now. After all, who eats Rice-a-Roni anymore?

Answer 7

No, it tastes much better than rice-a-roni!

Answer 8

I think it is rice shaped pasta and not rice at all.

Answer 9

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