Look! Arborio Rice at Trader Joe’s

We’re not sure if this is a new product or if it’s been there all along, but we were excited to discover arborio rice on a recent shopping foray to Trader Joe’s!

Arborio rice is a key ingredient – arguably the key ingredient! – in Italian risotto, and we often have trouble finding it outside of gourmet food stores. When we do find it, it’s often of dubious quality and fairly expensive.

This rice from Trader Joe’s comes in vacuum-sealed packages, which is usually a good indicator of freshness and quality. We gave it a try the other night in a simple mushroom risotto.

The rice gave off a good amount of starch (sometimes an issue with old rice), making a creamy thick sauce. The rice itself was tender, held its shape, and had a mild flavor that blended well with the other flavors in the risotto.

Our standards for risotto rice are probably somewhat lower and our palates a bit less discerning than, say, Mario Batali’s, but we give this rice from Trader Joe’s a seal of approval! Anyone else want to share their experience?

Related: Good Product? Spanish Saffron from Trader Joe’s

(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)