Why do you rinse quinoa

If you buy quinoa from the bulk bin section of your supermarket, you might want to rinse it to be safe, especially if you have found quinoa to have a bitter flavor in the past. If this has not been an issue for you, I would skip this step altogether and cook the quinoa as directed. Don't you love it when you have one less thing to do? By Lisa Cericola. Save FB Tweet More. All rights reserved. A cup of quinoa will also provide twice the protein and about 5 grams more fiber than the same amount of white rice.

Due to this higher quantity of protein and fiber, quinoa is not only the healthier choice, but will also fill you up faster, allowing for smaller portion sizes. As mentioned, quinoa contains a natural bitter coating to keep bugs away that needs to be rinsed off before cooking or your recipes could have a bitter flavor. Then just drain, rinse, and cook.

But for some people, eating quinoa may cause stomachaches, itchy skin, hives, and other common symptoms of food allergies. The seed and its coating contain the compound saponin, which could cause these symptoms. Happily, the solution to preventing bitter quinoa is very simple. But that's a little misleading.

Rather, the quinoa has "undergone an abrasion process" that removes the saponin. The "clean" quinoa does comes with a nutritional cost, though. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Hold your fine mesh strainer under your sink's faucet. If you use a colander or another strainer with larger holes, the quinoa will fall through the holes and into your sink. Add your quinoa to the strainer.

Measure the amount of quinoa that you want to use and pour it into the strainer or coffee filter. Do this carefully to make sure the seeds don't overflow and go into your sink.

Run cold water over the quinoa until the water runs clear. Turn on the cold water from your kitchen sink and let it rinse the quinoa for about five minutes. To quicken the process, you can agitate the quinoa with your hand. You'll know the quinoa is rinsed when the water coming out of the bottom of the strainer is no longer murky. Did you make this recipe? Leave a review. Method 2. Pour your quinoa into a bowl. Measure out the amount of quinoa that you want to use, then transfer it to a large bowl that can accommodate the seeds along with water.

Soak the quinoa in cold water for five minutes. Fill the bowl with enough cold water to cover the seeds.