Why Giada De Laurentiis Spanks Her Risotto And You Should Too

If you've ever smacked a baking sheet full of cookies down on your countertop to change their texture, you're likely familiar with the power a good strong knock can have on your cooking. But did you know your favorite risotto recipe could benefit from a few quick taps as well? As celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis shared on her TikTok, smacking (or spanking, as she describes it) the bottom of your plate of risotto will have an immediate effect.

@thegiadzy

The best way to plate a risotto- hit the bottom of it! Or like @giadadelaurentiis likes to say- spank it! #risotto #risottohack #howto #howtomakerisotto

♬ April (No Vocals) – The Young Ebenezers

First and foremost, spanking your plate of risotto before you serve it will lock in its loose but creamy consistency. Here's how it works: Dish up a serving of piping hot risotto onto the center of a flat plate (spanking your risotto after it's already cooled would be an exercise in futility). Quickly smack the underside of the plate repeatedly to help the risotto spread out evenly. By encouraging the risotto to fan out, you're helping along the cooling process. If, as your instincts might suggest, you serve your risotto in a deeper dish, the bowl will trap the risotto's heat and your masterful main course will continue cooking past its perfect al dente state. After all that time you spent over your stovetop, you'd hate to stumble right at the finish line.

Simply put, spanked risotto just looks better. Tapping your plate until you've created a perfectly even layer will allow you to better show off that creamy texture you worked so hard to achieve. Even better, you don't have to squish or smooth your serving of risotto with the back of a spoon, leaving you free from tell-tale spatula trails. Our recommendation? Follow in many a chef's footsteps and plate your risotto on a plain white plate for ultimate impact. Larger plates will also leave you with more room for meal-time accouterments like grilled scallops, roasted chicken, or leafy greens.

Last but not least, spanked risotto creates much more surface area for toppings. Instead of throwing off the balance of your risotto recipe with extra add-ins, focus on elevating the final product. Try adding a drizzle of Calabrian chili oil or a spoonful of tomato-garlic confit to the top of your risotto layer. And you'll never go amiss with an extra sprinkle of parmesan, a couple more grinds of fresh black pepper, or a few decorative basil leaves.