Not all fat is created equal. For example, when making vegetable risotto, you should always use butter instead of oil to toast the rice and finish the dish.

Butter’s rich creaminess complements a vegetable risotto in a way even the most fragrant olive oil couldn’t. This fat also adds complexity and rounds out the flavor profile.

The science of cooking with butter is so important that Italians created a term to describe it: “mantecatura,” which refers to the creaming of butter and cheese together.

The double dose of butter, first to toast the rice to bring out the nutty flavor, then at the end to enrich the final product, is the base of a delicious vegetable risotto.

Be sure to consider which vegetables you’ll add to the dish. Being seasonal, say, fresh asparagus in the spring, translates to a beautiful presentation and delicious flavor.