Which cereals need to be washed before cooking, and which ones should be poured directly into the pan

In order for the porridge to turn out tasty and retain its beneficial properties, you need to follow all the subtleties of its preparation. It is believed that first the cereal needs to be washed. But if in the case of rice or buckwheat there are no questions, then not everyone will wash corn grits before cooking. Let's figure out what the rules are.

What grains need to be washed before cooking?

To prepare rich and tasty porridge, almost all cereals, except for a few types, must be washed before cooking. It makes sense to rinse hard grains with water. Although modern technologies for packaging products comply with hygienic standards, it is better to play it safe.

Washing the grains is necessary to wash out:

• dust;
• foreign impurities;
• husks.

After cooking, the dish will look aesthetically pleasing, and this is an important point.

Need to wash before cooking:

• rice;
• buckwheat;
• millet;
• barley;
• all legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, mung beans, etc.).

Rice, pearl barley and millet need to be rinsed in several waters.

Washing features

Millet, rice and peas are washed to remove flouriness. Thanks to this, during the cooking process they do not form foam on the surface and do not stick together.

For better cooking of peas, rice and pearl barley, it is recommended to soak them for several hours so that they swell well. After this, the cereals are washed again, filled with clean water and put on the fire to cook.

What should the water temperature be?

• It is advisable to rinse rice and millet only with cold water.
• Warm water is suitable for washing oatmeal, pearl barley and wheat cereals. Buckwheat also needs to be washed with warm water. This helps eliminate bitterness.

To better separate impurities, you can help with your hand, moving your palm in a circle in the water. After rinsing, the water in the container should be clear.

What cereals do not need to be washed before cooking?

Before cooking, do not rinse fine grains with water:

• Semolina and rolled oats flakes. They will immediately absorb moisture and begin to swell.
• Bulgur - This is a semi-finished product. At the preparatory stage, it has already undergone heat treatment. First, at low temperatures, the grains are steamed, then thoroughly dried. After peeling, the grains are crushed. In fact, the cereal is not boiled, but only poured with boiling water and allowed time to swell (20 minutes is enough). Therefore, bulgur does not need pre-washing.
• Couscous is a product made from wheat. It would be more correct to say, from processed semolina (it is also a wheat product). To obtain couscous, semolina is lightly sprayed with water in production. The top is powdered with wheat flour. Flour is combined with semolina, resulting in grains of larger diameter - up to 1 mm. As is already clear from the process, you should not rinse the couscous.
• Corn grits It is also not recommended to rinse or soak before cooking. It is advisable to simply sort it out and remove the husks, impurities and other debris. If the corn grits are damp and crumpled, you can dry them in the oven. Otherwise, insects may appear.
• Barley groats. It is obtained by crushing barley grains. Yachka is a cut with sharp corners, which contains a lot of starch.It is because of this that it is not recommended to wash barley groats.

It is believed that fine crushed material is difficult to wash. To remove small debris, impurities and powdery dust, the cereal can be sifted through a sieve. When finished, the porridge can be either viscous or crumbly.

We looked at the main types of cereals that require washing, and identified those that do not require additional cleaning. We hope you find this information useful.