How to soak pork and beef kidneys before cooking?

To make a dish of pork and beef kidneys tasty, first of all, you need to know how to soak the kidneys so that there is no smell.

How to choose quality buds?

The taste of the finished delicacy directly depends on the quality of the raw materials. When choosing, you need to take into account that beef kidneys are tougher and require more careful processing, but at the same time their taste is richer than pork kidneys.

To avoid buying a low-quality product, you need to immediately pay attention to the following signs:

• appearance - they must be intact, without damage, defects, cuts;
• color – brown or red-brown, uniform;
• age – old age is indicated by bruises and dark spots on the surface.

It is better to cook the kidneys immediately after purchase, as they spoil quickly. If this is not possible, you can place them in the freezer. In this state they will not disappear for another 3-4 months, but their taste will not be fully preserved.

Methods of soaking

The main problem when preparing dishes from offal is the unpleasant smell. It occurs due to a high concentration of urea. Soaking helps get rid of it.

For the night

This is the most common method, which involves long-term soaking of the offal. To save time, housewives advise soaking the kidneys in the evening and starting cooking the next morning.

1. First, the raw materials are washed and dried, then the light fat is cut off with a sharp knife.
2. Large buds are cut in half, and deep cuts are made on small ones to make it easier to wash out the urea.
3. They are placed in a large plastic bowl and filled with cold water. If possible, it is advisable to drain the water several times and replace it with fresh water.

After soaking, the kidneys are washed and dried again, then the vessels and ureters are removed. After this they are ready for further preparation.

In milk

To prevent offal from stinking, they can be soaked in milk. This will soften them and give them a delicate flavor.

1. The kidneys are cut, washed, and inedible elements are removed.
2. Place in a bowl and fill with milk. It is advisable to change it every hour. The processing time is 3–4 hours (the longer you leave it, the tastier the dish will be).
3. The milk is drained, the kidneys are washed and dried with napkins.

After this, they can be fried, boiled, or stewed.

Express method

This method is suitable when there is no time for long soaking.

1. The kidneys are thoroughly washed and all inedible fragments are removed.
2. Then cut into small pieces.
3. They are poured with vinegar and 4-5 tablespoons of salt are added.
4. Keep in liquid until it darkens.

After this, the kidneys are washed again and further processing begins.

The benefits of kidneys and their use in cooking

Pork and beef kidneys are valued for their high content of vitamins and microelements. In addition, doctors and nutritionists advise using them for the following reasons:

• low calorie content - only 87 kcal per 100 grams of product (they can be eaten by overweight people and those on a diet);
• a large amount of iron, which is involved in the process of hematopoiesis and is useful for people with anemia;
• high selenium content, which has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland;
• the presence of vitamins A, B, PP, which strengthen the immune system;
• the presence of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, which have a general strengthening effect on the body.

Despite the fact that at first glance, by-products may seem unattractive, they can be used to prepare very tasty dishes, such as rassolnik or mixed meat solyanka. In addition, kidneys are prepared in the following variations:

• in mustard and jam sauce;
• in wine sauce with dried apricots;
• French;
• stewed with vegetables;
• with apples;
• in Uyghur;
• with buckwheat;
• with pumpkin soy sauce.

Kidneys are served as first and second courses, side dishes, and are included in some sauces.

Pork, beef and lamb kidneys are an amazing delicacy, but in order to cook them tasty and healthy, you need to properly soak the offal. Then new dishes will appear on the table, seasoned with a variety of sauces, spices and side dishes.