For those of you using carnaroli, do you change the cooking times and amount of liquid compared with aborio?
It won't save me any money like I was trying to achieve but now I am eager to try it just to taste the difference! 
thanks!
I prepare it essentially the same as arborio except that you can, depending on the type of water you use, shorten the cooking time by 3 to 4 minutes.
I was given this tip by an Italian chef who only uses filtered water when cooking the carnaroli - he told me that a lot of calcium in the water (which is significant in my well water) will lengthen the cooking time of this or any other rice. When I tried the experiment of cooking one batch in tap (well) water and a second batch in filtered water, there was a difference in the time and a subtle difference in the texture - at least to me, probably because I was looking for it.
The first time I had risotto made with carnaroli was a very high-end Italian restaurant on Melrose in L.A. I commented to our server that I had never been able to achieve such a degree of creaminess in risotto and was told that it would be "impossible" because the rice was not the "common" arborio but a very special import called "carnaroli" which was available only to chefs.
Well, being me, I had to have some of this magical stuff so I began a systematic search (before the days of internet ease) and found a shop in San Francisco's Italian enclave that was willing to ship me a kilo, for some ridiculous price.
I was able to produce the lovely texture and flavor that I had enjoyed at the restaurant. I used it sparingly because it was so costly but this type of rice seems to improve with age and is actually aged before being sold in Italy.
Not too long after I had exhausted my stock, I found a vendor at the L.A. Farmers market that carried it and I was able to purchase it there.
Now it's available from many online vendors but still is not available at any of the stores in my locality - I have to drive almost an hour one way to get to a store, so I purchase it online.
I know quite a few chefs, from my days in the business, and those with Italian roots all insist that it is a better rice, especially those who were schooled in Italy.
Of course the difference may all be in my imagination but I don't think so.
