Risotto Reviewer Roundup

Six bloggers tested our four varieties of Italian risotto rice and posted their findings.  Their reviews are informative and entertaining.  Below, we have compiled a zagat-style synopsis of each variety as well as our review of the reviews.  Click on each blogger’s name to check out their entire review.  You’ll find some great recipes and a candid discussion of the types of risotto on the market.

Review Synopsis:

Vialone Nano Rice: An “all purpose risotto” rice with “extremely small grains.” While one tester found Vialone Nano made an “extremely creamy and glutinous risotto” others found it to be “the least creamy.”  It had a “sweet, nutty smell and flavour that was absolutely delicious.”

Arborio Rice:  Arborio rice was “one of the faster rices to cook,” “so easy to work with” and “yielded the most volume” with “a smooth, creamy texture that everyone found pleasant.”  It smells “very delicate and floral,” but offers “the least flavor of all the risottos,” acting as a blank slate for the ingredients.

Carnaroli Rice: Most bloggers felt Carnaroli rice “held flavor well” but one said it had “a weird sweetish aftertaste.” Several of them ranked it lower than the other varieties, saying it was “dryer” and “not creamy at all”. However, others described it as “very creamy.”

Integrale Brown Rice: Bloggers agreed that integrale needs more time and liquid to cook than the other varieties and that it has a lot of flavor, saying it “smelled earthy, like mushrooms” with a “meaty” flavor that was the strongest of all the varieties.  It was a favorite with some of them, who felt it was “creamy” with “a tiny bit more bite than Arborio” or “sweet-earthy-nutty-chewy” but “definitely needs bold ingredients that can stand up to its earthy flavor!”  Others had less luck, saying it gave off “the least starch,” was “slightly hard” and resulted in a risotto consistency like “rice soup.” 

The Awards For Best Reviews Go To:

Lauren of Healthy Delicious – Lauren’s review was thorough and exacting, she even went so far as to judge each variety on the basis of its aroma!  Her cooked-risotto photos do a great job of illustrating the differences between the varieties, and she discovered something interesting about the way the integrale rice released its starch.

And

Joanne Eats Well With Others – Joanne also approached her review from a (characteristically askew) scientific angle that was as informative as it was fun to read.  She also shared some great photos clearly demonstrating her experience with each type.

Though Lauren and Joanne had the best reviews, each of the other bloggers submitted reviews well worth checking out:

Forty Cakes threw a risotto party and invited a host of people, gathering results from a host of palates and cooks.  It looks like they had a blast!

Leslie Uhl submitted a review infused with her trademark stunning photography.  We particularly enjoyed the range of color and texture in her post’s last photo.

Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife included close-up shots of each variety showing the consistency she got with each, and reported results from six different tasters.

Joanna of Go Ahead and Snicker shared a video demonstration of proper risotto technique from a noted authority, and ended up with a delicious looking dish.