Why do all the recipes suggest using a wooden spoon to make risotto?

[AlexR]

I just love risotto, and do an "OK" job at home, even though I don't somehow manage to do as well as in a decent restaurant.

Anyway, I am amazed to see recipe after recipe calling for the use of a wooden spoon.

Fine. You need to stir the risotto frequently. But what qualities does wood have that a stainless steel or teflon-coated utensil do not have?

Thanks in advance,
Yours sincerely,
Alex R.

 

[MSC]

The conventional answer is that wood is non-reactive and won't change the taste as some metals will. Now does that still apply today with all the new materials in use is a good question.

 

[Poppi G. Koullias]

I just love risotto, and do an "OK" job at home, even though I don't somehow manage to do as well as in a decent restaurant.

Anyway, I am amazed to see recipe after recipe calling for the use of a wooden spoon.

Fine. You need to stir the risotto frequently. But what qualities does wood have that a stainless steel or teflon-coated utensil do not have?

Thanks in advance,
Yours sincerely,
Alex R.

Stainless steel should not react adversly with anything much, though my pref is a wooden spoon because it feels nice and comfy in my hand. However, when stirring stiff peaked egg whites (as in making meriengue, do not use a wooden spoon as it's likely to knock the air out of it. Always use a stainless steel spoon.

I have not seen teflon-coated spoons so can't comment. But a wooden spoon is so very much cheaper.

 

[bakechef]

I just love wooden spoons. They don't make that scraping noise on the bottom of the pan like a metal spoon does.

 

[spork]

Doesn't matter, AlexR. Recipes and cookbooks next year might argue that a spoon carved from an olive tree is the only true utensil for stirring risotto. (I have one, but it's just a treasured souvenir, nothing more.) For risotto, doesn't matter. Except, 1, stirring frequently mostly means leaving the spoon in the pot, which gets too hot to handle if it is metal; 2, sharp metal utensils constantly scratching another hard metal pot releases microscopic metal shavings, or bits of teflon into your food; 3, a thick wooden spoon leaves a larger wake behind it than a thinner, more hydrodynamic, metal spoon. Either way, it doesn't much matter, if you keep stirring it.

I hate tending it, and DC's many "industrial design student questionnaires" should just come up with an electric risotto robotto.

 

[Selkie]

Why is a wooden spoon required to cook risotto? Because not everyone has a Spork!

 

[callahan9119]

I personally think it's traditional nonsense, silicone spatulas work fine for me. I guess there is a thinking that it is frictional and causes more starches to be released or they don't retain heat..silicone doesn't retain heat, nor is it reactive.

I watched something Alton Brown did about risotto where he more or less just shook the pan and it was enough. After that I stopped obsessing about stirring so much (still stirred) and it turns out the same. I think it's more about seasoning or ingredients and just making sure it's cooked properly.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I make a lot of Risotto, this is a good one for veggies at chrimbo.
Add to your standard risotto at the 15 minute stage chopped cooked chestnuts, sweated onions, sweated shredded sprouts and Parmesan, finish as usual.
Cling film a tray with sides of at least one inch and put risotto in, leave in the fridge till set hard, turn out and using a quite large round cutter make patties, flour, egg wash, bread crumb then fry till crisp and heated through, serve with a butter based herb sauce.

 

[jennyema]

The answer is because you need a wide flat surface like a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to properly work a risotto. The directions will say "stir" but what you really need to be doing is working the rice and liquid together by smooching it together with the flat side of a wooden spoon or spatula. It helps the rice give off the starch. You can't do that with a whisk and it's harder to do with a spoon.

Metal utensils are stainless and are non-reactive.

 

[taxlady]

I just love wooden spoons. They don't make that scraping noise on the bottom of the pan like a metal spoon does.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Robo410]

frankly, I like my bamboo rice paddle for such tasks.

 

[Andy M.]

Stirring risotto frequently agitates the rice and causes some of the surface starch to rub off and thicken the sauce. A wood spoon has a rougher surface which also would provide friction during the stirring process to rub off more surface starch.

While all this is true, I'm not sure if you could tell the difference between a risotto made with a wood spoon and one made with a metal spoon or other non-wood implement.

 

[zfranca]

I have many Italian cookbooks and all of them mention wooden spoons in one recipe or another. I believe it is just common in Italy to use a wooden spoon other than a metal spoon, and when somebody translates the recipes they just go along with the wooden spoons. I had an Italian gourmet restaurant for 12 years and due to sanitary regulations I could not use wooden spoons. Risotto came out as good with a stainless steel spoon as it would with a wooden one. However my personal preference goes with the wooden spoon. The advantage being that the handle does not get hot and it is easier to handle.

 

[callahan9119]

Stirring risotto frequently agitates the rice and causes some of the surface starch to rub off and thicken the sauce. A wood spoon has a rougher surface which also would provide friction during the stirring process to rub off more surface starch.

While all this is true, I'm not sure if you could tell the difference between a risotto made with a wood spoon and one made with a metal spoon or other non-wood implement.

I honestly couldn't tell the difference between stirring constantly or using Alton Brown's technique of mostly just shaking the pan.

 

[justplainbill]

Stainless is noisy and can scratch. Teflon can wear off. Wood does not conduct heat as readily and stays relatively cool. I'd rather eat wood than teflon.