Loved for its creamy texture, arborio rice is best known for its use in risotto. This Italian superfino rice is a short-grain rice with a high level of starch. When you cook with it, make sure you don’t rinse it like you would with other types of rice because you need to keep the full starch content.
As it cooks, the starch is released from the grains and a firm, creamy and slightly chewy rice is the result. Its high starch level also helps it absorb whichever flavours you cook it with. To ensure the arborio rice stays creamy, add hot liquid a little at a time so that it can absorb it slowly.
As well as enjoying a creamy bowl of risotto, you can use arborio rice for a host of other dishes that benefit from a creamy rice. Use it as an alternative to paella rice, cook some arancini with it or add it to your minestrone soup. Cook it so that it is al dente to enjoy it at its best. Not just a good ingredient for your dinner, it can be used for porridge at breakfast time or as the popular dessert of creamy rice pudding.