How to Cheat at Risotto

[CoralFish]

Okay, so I know nothing will beat standing over the pan, slowly adding the stock and constantly stirring, but I want to find a good 'cheat' alternative for easy week night meal.

I wondered if anyone had tried any of the following:

1. 'Baked' risotto where you stick it in the oven with all the stock and leave it
2. Making it in a rice cooker
3. Making it in a slow cooker
4. Making it in a paddle-type hot air fryer

Any feedback on any of the above methods would be most welcome!

@TooTrueToBeGood @CatherineCawood

Any recommendations for instant pot??

We use the Heston multi cooker thing that has a risotto setting - used it weekly for almost 5 years now! Its perfectly fine for a week day meal. Easy, quick and delicious!

I am a good cook. I can absolutely make a great risotto doing all the classically required add-stock-and-stir. But 99% of the time, I just want the family fed with minimum fuss and effort, so I almost always do risotto in the oven. It doesn't have quite the ooze, but it is damn good for virtually no effort.

This is the base recipe I use. www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2818/ovenbaked-risotto- I switch out the bacon and tomato for other things, including shredded ham, peas, leeks, chopped parsnip (don't knock it until you've tried it) or chopped courgette. All great.

You do need to stir it. Bout not constantly. The difference is so minimal

I do successful oven baked risotto also in la crueset pot

I've done oven baked risottos and they're fine. They're usually a bit wetter (the rice is less al dente) and a bit less creamy than a stirred risotto, which make sense because the stirring is releasing starchy stuff from the rice (technical term obviously) and that is thickening the gloopy sauce. That's why when cooking plain boiled rice you shouldn't stir it.

Second @QuantumWeatherButterfly
That recipe is blinking lush! Actually tastes like proper risotto

The king Pro professional is the same as I'm the instant pot and does rissotto the same at a third of the price.

Any recommendations for instant pot??

I cheaped out and went for this one rather than the genuine Instant Pot: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01JS083S8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

Only had it for 6 weeks but am using it almost every night. Wish I'd bought one years ago.

Mumsiedarling, on the previous page is the link to the instant stuff, Risotto Gallo I think it is called, very good too.

Tbh, doing risotto on the hob where you add stock gradually and drink wine solidly for 15 or 20 minutes as you do it is the only method I’m interested in.

I would highly recommend the branded instant pot. However I've never used a different one so can't really comment. My friend did have a pressure king pro which blew up she bought an ip after that and said it was better.

I got my ip a year or so ago and LOVE it. Never regretted it when took it to the South of France on holiday

I do lazy 'risotto'. It was a method used by my mum and until I made risotto myself I didn't know the difference. 😳

Brown mince. Add beef stock cube. Add sachet or two (to preference of how much rice you like) of savoury rice (I prefer the beef one for this).

Cover with hot water from kettle, put lid on, bring to the boil then simmer until rice is cooked. Serve with bread and butter. takes about half an hour all in.

I put a dash of the stock in then reduce then bung the rest in. I do stir. I make it weekly and always think it's nice?!

Okay, so maybe I will have a go just on the hob without stirring - but I am worried it will stick to the bottom of the pan! I am also going to try the Delia oven-baked one. Thanks so much for all the advice!

I’ve never done an oven baked risotto, but regularly make rice pudding in the oven. Surely it’s just a savoury version of that?

At the risk of sounding like a twat, I find regular stirring risotto is always easier than I remember as everything is in the one pan. So it's just a case of standing there.

At the risk of being banned from this topic Aldi do a delicious chicken risotto in a whisper packet! Just add water and stir it in a bit

Instant pot risotto. Can’t be bothered with stirring. I’d recommend a proper Instant Pot. I love the IP recipe for chicken and pancetta risotto, but we’ve now modified it, no cheese or pancetta - the children prefer it plainer and if I make double they’ll eat it cold!

Right after much experimenting I thought I would report back. The Actifry is the winner! Cooked onion for 5mins, mushrooms and garlic for 5 more, added rice and cooked for another 2 mins, and then stock and cooked for 45mins, checking regularly and topping up with boiling water towards the end and then adding parmesan and cooking for another 5mins. A few bits stuck to the side but DP liked the 'crunchy bits' .

Not the best risotto I've ever made but the non-stirring hob one stuck at the bottom (maybe it's my hob or my pan) and I found the oven one a lot of hassle to check when it was done, so Actifry it is! (Until I can afford an Instant Pot)

What’s an instant pot?

I make baked risotto with pancetta cubes but tbh can’t see any reason why you can’t do it with any ingredients.

What’s an instant pot?

It's some sort of magical super-fast £100+ pressure cooker that Mumsnetters love (but also looks kind of scary...)

Although there may be dissenters but a slow cooker to make a risotto is pretty easy. Largely a case of throwing all the ingredients in and a couple of stirs every now and then. If you want to be 'flash' you could fry onions and bacon (if those are in your recipe).
Chuck the pictures of what a risotto 'should' look and taste like, go off piste!

Love risotto, but have no patience for the constant stirring.
I’ve made the red pepper oven baked risotto from BBC good food a few times and it’s always worked for me.

The haddock and leek one up thread looks lovely.