Always bring your stock to a boil before using it. If you add cold water to your risotto while cooking the rice will cook unevenly and take longer. Keep your stock simmering in a small pot beside your pot of risotto.
Stir your risotto often, but not constantly. If you stir your risotto too much then it becomes gluey, but if you don’t stir it at all then it won’t cook evenly and won’t become creamy.
Always add your stock slowly. The rice needs to absorb all the stock before adding more. Slow and steady wins the race with coking risotto. Don’t rush…sip some wine and enjoy!
Don’t overcook the risotto. Risotto is like pasta and should be cooked al-dente even though you want it to be moist and creamy.
Cook risotto on a medium/high heat. Risotto needs to be cooked slowly, but it also needs to simmer enough to cook properly. Make sure the heat is high enough.
Add a little bit of wine! You don’t have to put wine in every risotto you make, but I do! I feel like it adds a special flavour that is missing if it’s not in there. I also feel like it cooks the rice better by breaking it down, which is totally not fact, but I like to think so.
Always add your cream, cheese, and butter near the end of cooking. When I’m adding cream in my risotto I put it in just 1 or 2 minutes before the risotto is cooked. Then at the very end after you’ve removed the risotto from the heat always add in at least a tablespoon of butter and whatever cheese you wish. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Buon appetito!