How to properly cook buckwheat - simple tips and advice

Buckwheat porridge - a dish familiar to everyone since childhood, which can rightfully be called the "queen of cereals", as it is very tasty and nutritious. But does everyone know how to cook buckwheat correctly? The majority will say that this is very simple and does not require special efforts. And it's true, it's easy to cook buckwheat porridge, but in order to make it as tasty and useful as possible, you need to know certain rules. And then this dish will rightfully become one of the most loved among all members of the family.

So, how correctly to cook buckwheat? It is necessary to strictly observe the proportion of cereals and water, which should be 1 to 2 (one part of buckwheat in two parts of water). Groats need to be pre-sorted, because foreign substances are often found in it, and then rinse thoroughly with cold water. The pan should be tightly covered with a lid, because the porridge is cooked by the steam formed inside. Generally, when answering the question how to cook buckwheat properly, it should be noted that some housewives during cooking stir the buckwheat porridge, open the lid or add water - this is a mistake that leads to a loss of taste! You can cook buckwheat on water or on milk. Most often an option on milk is cooked for children, although many adults like milk porridge. However, it is believed that to preserve nutrients, it is optimal to cook porridge on the water.

In total, buckwheat cook for 15-20 minutes, until the water is completely evaporated. And before boiling water, in the first few minutes the fire should be strong, after which it must be screwed and cooked porridge already on a slow fire. Do not overdo the porridge on the stove - in this case it, first, loses useful substances and vitamins, and secondly, it becomes much less tasty. The widely held view that buckwheat porridge should be cooked for a long time is erroneous, because its roots go back to the time when this dish was prepared not on a modern plate (gas or electric), but in a Russian oven, so the cooking process was much longer .

After the porridge is welded, you can put it in a warm place (for example, under a blanket). In this case the porridge will "ripen" a little more, not overheating on the stove, and besides it can be kept hot before serving. It is interesting that buckwheat porridge can be either an independent dish (or garnish), and serve as a basis for preparing more complex culinary delights, for example, cutlets with buckwheat and casseroles. In such dishes it is very good to use that porridge, which for several days stood in the refrigerator. It is known that buckwheat porridge is very useful for those who want to increase the level of hemoglobin in the body. However, few know that for these purposes, a recently cooked dish is much better suited. By the way, milk, which is often used this porridge, promotes the assimilation of nutrients from buckwheat, so freshly brewed porridge with milk is an excellent option for children and adults. In this case, as already mentioned, it is better to initially cook buckwheat on the water, and add milk to it before serving.

Talking about how to properly cook buckwheat, you can not fail to mention the cookware. It is best to prepare a porridge suitable metal pan (not enameled!) With thick walls, a convex bottom and a tightly fitting lid. Such cookware for cooking contributes to the fact that the porridge is evenly cooked and swollen.

To date, buckwheat porridge by the majority is perceived as a side dish to meat (and sometimes fish) dishes. However, the famous cooking writer V. Pokhlebkin in his book "Secrets of Good Food" calls everyone to stop taking it as a garnish (in his opinion, salads are suitable for a side dish, but not porridges) and start eating as an independent dish. And this will require refueling. What can serve as a dressing? Butter, finely chopped eggs (pre-cooked hard-boiled), onions and dried mushrooms. Despite the fact that this option is quite unusual, the result is a very tasty and unusual (as far as the word "unusual" for buckwheat is concerned), so it's worth a try!