ARANCINI

Use Sushi rice: not Uncle Ben's: sushi rice produces rice balls with tender rice grains that hold their shape, retain a pleasantly chewy texture, and don't become mushy, even after deep-frying.

Add Bechamel sauce: A bechamel sauce made with both chicken stock and milk guarantees rice balls that are molten, not dry, inside. In small saucepan, melt 2 TBSP butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in 2 TBSP flour to form a paste, lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until raw-flour smell is gone but flour has not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup stock until smooth, and add remaining 1 pinch saffron (optional). Bring to a simmer, and continue to cook, stirring, until bechamel sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then whisk in 2 eggs.

Add gelatin to the stock and the meat filling: Gelatin-rich chicken stock helps the rice filling set when chilled, but melts again when heated keeping everything super moist and flavorful. Place a container of chicken stock (stock not broth Stop and Shop is my favorite) in a bowl and sprinkle 2 packets (1/2 ounce) unflavored gelatin on top, set aside while you prep the rice. I also add a packet of gelatin to my meat mix.

Add onion to the rice (optional) then the bechamel mix: Heat oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 1C finely diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated in oil and toasted but not browned, 3-4 minutes (rice grains should start to look like tiny ice cubes—translucent around the edges and cloudy in the center). Stir in 2 cups gelatin stock and 1 pinch saffron, scrape any grains of rice or pieces of onion from side of pot so that they are fully submerged. When liquid has mostly evaporated, stir in 1 more cup stock and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in water 1/4 cup at a time until rice is just tender and has formed the texture of a thick porridge. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Chill the rice: Scrape rice into a large mixing bowl along with bechamel sauce and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment and scrape rice filling onto each one, spreading it in a thin, even layer. Refrigerate rice filling until thoroughly chilled and thickened, at least 1 hour. When you go to make the balls, you can use a butter knife to divide the rice on the pans so you have the same amount for each ball, which is super convenient and allows you to count how many you'll have.

Skip the egg dip: A quick dip in a flour-and-water slurry before rolling in bread crumbs creates a crust that's shatteringly crisp. Whisk 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup water to form a smooth paste, then whisk in an additional 1/4 cup water to form a slurry. Roll rice ball in flour slurry, then transfer to breadcrumbs and roll to coat.

Use homemade breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs (run through food processor so they're ground): Produces crispier and lighter crumb. This is less important than the other changes if you want to stick to your Progresso

Let me know if you have any questions. I used parts (not all) of this recipe here which has some useful pictures. https://www.seriouseats.com/arancini-rice-balls-recipe They're fabulous and even though you need to make the bechamel (that takes a few minutes) and chilling the rice seems like a pain but the ability to divide the rice and the skipping of the egg wash makes it worth it.