What happens to all that stock I put into my risotto?

What happens to all that stock I put into my risotto? M. Corrigan

Perhaps the best recipe for risotto was written by the late Marcella Hazan. Her ingredients form a short list but the method runs for pages and is part paean to risotto, part rice-stirring choreography and part observation of what's going on in the risotto pot.

First, some of the water in the stock evaporates. As the rice cooks the water in the stock is absorbed, swelling the starch granules and making them soft. The larger compounds in the stock, such as the protein in the gelatin, remain in the pot, intensifying the flavour and enriching the sensation in the mouth of the remaining stock. Meanwhile, as you're stirring the rice, you're wearing away some of the starch, which in turn thickens the liquid in the pot.

Then, all that is left is to top the risotto with butter and cheese to make the whole dish richer and tastier.

Can I cook every day in my new copper saucepans? C. Belinsky

No. You and your family will be at risk of copperiedus or copper toxicity. The symptoms are not nice and include vomiting, jaundice and haematemesis and melaena. (Look up the last two if you need to. Not the type of thing we want to print in the food section.) You will be even more at risk if you cook acidic food in the pans. Copper-based pans are fine if the cooking surface is made from stainless steel. Copper is great for conducting heat but really hard for your kidneys to expel in high levels.

Can I half slow-roast a shoulder of lamb one day and then finish it off the next? N. Shoobridge

Crikey! You are time poor! You could. But you'll lose a lot of the moisture in the flesh as the muscles tighten and relax and tighten again as you cook it. Why don't you put the lamb in the oven overnight? Preheat the oven to high. Put the lamb on a bed of veg and some wine, season the skin, give it a hot blast for 30 minutes then turn the heat down as low as the oven will go. Go to bed. You will wake to a juicy slow-cooked shoulder.

The only drawback is that your sleep will be interrupted by dreams of mediaeval feasts and Sunday dinners.

Letters

Last week we answered a query as to what caused the gray ring around hard-boiled eggs. "What you completely and neglectfully failed to mention is that the gray ring in hard-boiled eggs can be avoided by putting them in cold water straight after cooking," wrote a fuming H. Oates.

Just one of the many virtual rotten fruit thrown at my head. In response to exploring the thermodynamics of miso soup through haiku, A. Murkies wrote: "Clouds of miso swirl/I bring the bowl to my lips/What? No spring onions?" Thank you.

Send your vexing culinary conundrums to brainfood@richardcornish.com.au or tweet to @Foodcornish