As a mom of five kids ranging in ages from almost 16 down to just past 4, I have helped with my share of science experiments. We have tested insulation materials, paper airplane shapes, water boiling points, microwave popcorn times, baking soda and vinegar explosions, homemade bubble gum recipes...you name it, I have either done it or vetoed it. Well, now it's my turn to do a science project all on my own. It's almost like being in college again: controls, variables, hypothesis...only more fun because it involves food and cooking.
Justin at
Marx Foods put out a call for some bloggers to compare Italian rice varieties. The object was to find out which rice made the best, the creamiest, the tastiest risotto. I was chosen as one of the lucky
scientists bloggers to conduct the experiment.
My Hypothesis: Arborio rice is the most commonly used rice for risotto in cookbooks, cooking classes, cooking shows, etc. My theory is that there is a reason for its popularity. It will probably have the best results.
My Materials: (ingredients and equipment)
Rices to be tested:(1)
Organic Italian Arborio, (2)
Organic Italian Carnaroli, (3)
Italian Vialone Nano and (4)
Organic Italian Integrale.
Other ingredients: onions, garlic, chicken stock, schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), truffle salt (left over from my other MarxFoods challenge), butter, grated Romano cheese
Equipment: two identical skillets for cooking two batches at a time, gas stove, wooden spoon, pot holder, knife, cutting mat, measuring spoons and measuring cups
My Method: (recipe and procedure)
In order to accurately test each variety of rice, I used exactly the same recipe for each:
1/4 cup onion, diced fine
1 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp schmaltz (or olive oil)
1 cup risotto rice
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp truffle salt
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup imported Italian Romano cheese, grated
In heave skillet, melt schmaltz. Add onion and saute until golden,
add garlic and rice, stirring and cooking for 3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, scraping up any fond that has formed on the bottom of the pan. Stir often while bringing to a boil. When it boils, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes, stirring once in a while at first and more often as the liquid in the pan decreases.
When the rice is creamy and no longer liquidy, turn off the heat. Stir in the butter and cheese until melted and well incorporated.
I cooked the aborio and integrale varieties first. When they were done, I washed all of the pans and utensils and started all over again with the carnaroli and vialone nano varieties. All four varieties were served at once with numbers, served clockwise so the tasters (aka family members) could tell me which number they liked the best and why.
Data and Results (what happened and how they turned out)
Amount of time from addition of stock to creamy yumminess:
Arborio: 25 minutes
Integrale 32 minutes
Vialone Nano 28 nminutes
Carnaroli 25 minutes
The Arborio rice stayed a lighter color than the other three, it started turning creamy after 10 minutes of cooking. The Integrale, when raw, looked like a brown rice. It took the longest to soak up all of the liquid and kept a unique taste instead of adopting the taste of the stock, onions and garlic. The Vialone Nano was the least creamy and seemed to keep its shape more than the other three. The Carnaroli was not as creamy as the Arborio, but did not keep its shape like the Vialone Nano.
Conclusions (which we liked the best)
The official tasters included 4 adults and 2 teenage boys. The hands down favorite was the Arborio. It just about melted in our mouths with a smooth, creamy texture that everyone found pleasant. The Integrale was the least favorite. Its peculiar taste bothered more than a few tasters, though its texture was great. The Carnaroli was the second most popular rice. It wasn't as creamy as the Arborio, but still, it had the texture that we were used to in a risotto and it didn't have any flavor of its own. The Vialone Nano came in third. It didn't have a funny taste either, but the grains of rice seemed to resist letting go of the traditional creaminess we would have expected in a risotto rice.
And so, my hypothesis was correct. Of the four rices I cooked, Arborio was our favorite hands down. I didn't tell any of the tasters what they were eating and asked simply that they tell me which number was their favorite. 5 out of 6 (and then 3 out of 3 younger kids who were not considered official testers) chose Arborio as the winner, for taste and texture. As the cook, I appreciated that it was one of the faster rices to cook. In a pinch, I would definitely use Carnaroli as a good substitute in any risotto.
note: other than the rices, I received no compensation for this review and all opinions are mine.
