how to puff quinoa

How to Puff Quinoa.

Quinoa has long been a staple crop of the Andes region, but only recently made waves in the rest of the world. You may have cooked this protein-rich seed as though it were rice, but it's worth "puffing" it like popcorn as well. This is a quick, low-effort recipe — especially if the quinoa is pre-rinsed — that makes a good snack or topping.



Part 1 Rinsing the Quinoa (Optional).

1. Decide whether to rinse. All quinoa naturally produces bitter substances called saponins. Most companies treat the quinoa to remove most of the saponins before they reach the store, but there may still be a faint biter taste. Rinsing will remove this, but you'll have to wait at least half an hour for the seeds to dry.

If you decide not to rinse, skip down to the puffing instructions.

2. Rinse the quinoa in a bowl. Place the quinoa in a bowl. Fill it with cold water. If the quinoa still contains saponins, foam will form on the surface.

3. Pour the quinoa through a strainer. Empty the bowl into a fine mesh strainer. Hold it under cold running water to remove the foam.

4. Repeat until foam stops forming. Return the quinoa to a bowl so you can watch for foam, then rinse again. The quinoa is ready once no more foam forms on the surface, and the seeds all remain in the bottom of the bowl.

5. Set your oven to the lowest temperature. Set your oven to "warm" or to the lowest temperature setting. There's no need to wait for preheating — just continue to the next step.

6. Dry your quinoa in the oven. Spread out the wet quinoa on a dry baking tray. Check every ten minutes and stir to break up large clumps. Remove when completely dry. This usually takes thirty to sixty minutes.

To further reduce the risk of burning, leave the oven door ajar.

You can move on to the stovetop before the quinoa is completely dry. You'll just have to wait for the moisture to evaporate before the quinoa pops, which can take 10–30 minutes.



Part 2 Puffing the Quinoa.

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. To prevent a quinoa avalanche, this pan should either have a lid or be at least six inches (15 cm) deep. Heat the pan over medium heat.

2. Add oil (optional). Many people choose to pop their quinoa dry for health reasons. If you prefer a crisper puffed quinoa, cover the base of the pan with about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of oil. A neutral-flavored oil such as canola or safflower is a good choice.

3. Add a little quinoa to test the heat. Add a sprinkle of dry quinoa to the pan. If the pan is hot enough, the quinoa should pop within a few seconds. Quinoa does not expand nearly as much as popcorn kernels, but it will turn brown, jump in the air, and release a nutty aroma.

4. Cover the base of the pan with quinoa. Once the pan is hot enough, pour in quinoa in a single layer on the base of the pan.

5. Shake the pan until the popping slows. Shake constantly to even out the temperature and prevent stuck, burnt seeds. Remove from heat once popping starts to slow, usually after one to five minutes.

If you are using a pan with a lid, crack it a couple times to let steam escape. Do this on the side facing away from you to avoid steam and quinoa rocketing to your face.

You can continue cooking to make the quinoa browner, nuttier, and crunchier, but the quinoa will burn easily after this point.

6. Shake off heat until popping stops. As long as you don't smell burning, you can continue shaking the pan off heat for another minute or two. Pour the puffed quinoa onto a baking sheet to cool down once popping stops.



Part 3 Using the Puffed Quinoa.

1. Flavor to eat as a snack. Replace your popcorn with a bowlful of puffed quinoa, mixed with a little salt and pepper. Alternatively, add a dash of chile oil, or a sprinkle of your favorite dried herbs.

2. Add the quinoa to breakfast cereal. You've just made a healthier version of puffed rice cereals. Eat it with milk or add it to homemade granola (before or after baking).

3. Sprinkle over salad or vegetable dishes. Puffed quinoa adds a great crunchy texture to salads in place of nuts or croutons. It also works well with roasted or sautéed vegetables.

4. Use them in energy bars. Make protein-rich hiking snacks by combining puffed quinoa with nuts and other high-energy foods.

5. Mix puffed quinoa into cookie dough. Replace some of the oats in an oatmeal cookie, or add it to any cookie recipe for crunch and protein.

Februari 20, 2020

how to cook without a recipe with building your confidence

how to cook without a recipe with building your confidence

Building Your Confidence.

Recognize when food is finished cooking. If you don't have a recipe to tell you how long to cook something for, you need to know signs that the food is done, especially when cooking meat or seafood. To tell if meat is as cooked as you like, rely on an instant-read meat thermometer. If you're baking cake, muffins, or quick bread, you'll usually want to insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.



The more you cook, the better you'll be at gauging how long something takes to cook. For example, if you're stir-frying vegetables, you'll know to add carrots before onions since they take longer to cook.

Tip: Keep a chart in your kitchen that shows the food-safe temperature for different kinds of meat and seafood.



Taste your food frequently and trust your senses. Don't wait until you're ready to serve a meal before you taste it. As long as the food isn't raw, you should be sampling it as you cook so you can adjust the seasonings. Learn to trust your instinct. For example, if the dish tastes like it needs brighter flavor, add a squeeze or lemon or freshly chopped herbs.



Pay attention to how things smell as you cook. Your sense of smell can tell you if you've added enough spices, if the food smells appetizing, or if something is burning!



Experiment with a dish before serving it to others. You'll put unnecessary pressure on yourself if you try to whip up something that you've never made before to serve to guests. Instead, practice cooking without a recipe when there's little stress or pressure. You'll enjoy yourself more and might be bolder since there's no fear of making mistakes.

It's not a bad idea to have a backup plan, even if you're just cooking dinner for yourself. For example, have supplies in the fridge for making a quick sandwich if cooking doesn't turn out as you hoped.



Make substitutions to dishes you know how to make. Once you've gotten really comfortable with making a particular dish, experiment by changing a few ingredients. For example, if your pasta calls for bacon and asparagus, try making it with pancetta and snap peas.



Pizza is a great meal to cook without a recipe. As long as you can roll out the dough, you can try different sauces or toppings.

Tip: Substitute flavor extracts in your baking. For example, instead of using vanilla, try almond or lemon extract.



Practice seasoning a dish. You may be used to seasoning food with salt, but there are a lot of ways to adjust the flavor of food. In addition to salt, you might want to add more spices or fresh herbs according to your preferences. To really take your cooking to the next level, add a few drops of an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine, or hot sauce.



To add richness to the meal, stir in a little butter or heavy cream.

If the meal tastes a little boring or flat, add depth of flavor by stirring in some miso, tomato paste, or Worcestershire sauce.



Memorize basic ratios for the foods you cook often. You don't need recipes for foods that rely on simple ratios, such as rice, quinoa, bulger, and other grains. Find a ratio that creates food with a texture you like and commit it to memory. Then, you can easily make a pot of couscous without even thinking about it.

Use 1 1⁄2 cups (350 ml) of water for every 1 cup (180 g) of rice as a starting ratio. Then, adjust the ratio to get a texture you like.

November 04, 2019