removing stones & debris from quinoa

Re6bo

That's sad to know that it wasn't just this batch I mad. I've tried multiple brands now with the same problem. Thank you for confirming that it is the quinoa. I think I actually chipped a tooth on one of them too

badzoe

I have been eating Ancient Harvest for over a year and have never had one piece of grit in it. Lentils, on the other hand, are a different story...

fitness72045

I am throwing out a big bag of Earthly Choice quinoa--those nasty little gritty stones are intolerable. Don't understand how rinsing could get red of tiny stones either, they are the same color as the grain. Earthly Choice is the only brand I've had this problem with--never again! Too bad, they have a lot of new 'convenience' quinoa products I won't waste money on.

pumina

I buy it from the bulk foods section of my grocery store called Sprouts. I get the nasty Sandy crunch no matter how much I wash it. It really grosses me out.

whiskeyhut

I use Bob's Red Mill and was eating it just now.....clear rocks. Looks a bit like glass but it takes the enjoyment out of eating it.

JoRocka

try rice instead. much lower instances of debris in food.

meshashesha2012

sorry but this topic is hilarious to me. just because it's in a bag or a box doesn't mean that fresh food doesn't have to properly cleaned before you cook it.

i always go over EVERYTHING fresh, especially spinach and kale because 9/10 times there's still a good amount of dirt in the folds of the leaves. as a kid i was taught to go over every single leaf with my fingers and water.

anyway for the quinoa here's an easy fix, since quinoa grows in sandy textures sand should be expected:

dump your quinoa in water (i hope everyone's rinsing the quinoa to get rid of the soapy outer texture), swirl the water around with your hand so that it creates a little whirlpool. the sand will sink to the bottom because it's heavier. use a sifter to scoop out the quinoa on the top of the water and leave the sane behind

gmthisfeller

We most often use Ancient Harvest Quinoa, since it does not require washing. We have also used Kroger's Organic Quinoa, and Bob's Red Mill brand. We have had neither stones nor grit with any of these brands.

gmthisfeller

(i hope everyone's rinsing the quinoa to get rid of the soapy outer texture)

Some brands are prewashed.

milanametaken

I bought 'Fresh & Wild' organic quinoa from Whole Foods (London UK). I can't remember what was the brand I bought first time, but it was from Whole Foods too. The first one was full of gritty bits. I thought it was because I didn't wash or cook it properly. Second time I washed it for 10 minutes and well overcooked it just to remove any doubt that it is not properly cooked or washed. Again, it did have the gritty bits but slightly less than the first lot. I'm going to try the advice to wash it in a lot of water and make a swirl. Hopefully, the sand will drop to the bottom. If that doesn't help, that will be the end of my quinoa experience.

ethalfrida

I think the swirling technique will work well and am going to try it. I can be chewing happily along with no incident but the minute I get confident it's not going to happen I bite down on a rock. I love quinoa but the rocks are fast becoming too much. Thanks for the advice.

Mangopickle

I use the swirling rinse method with all beans and grains. Always use a big bowl, swirl water and grains to make a vortex several times and scoop out grains with colander as they are in motion. I do this twice rinsing off the sandy skim on the bottom of the bowl each time. I spend 4 times more time rinsing now than I ever did as a novice cook. It is a good habit because any brand could have debris at any time. I actually like the ritual and the contact with my food.

esloa

nature's earthly choice organic red quinoa from Costco is the one I'm using and getting the crunch with too. Trying the white and other brand next time. It's so hard to wash as it sticks on everything, I want to get the ones that are prewashed.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

jenbridges wrote: »

Another brand to look for is Ancient Harvest Quinoa, which comes in a box (I think they sell both traditional and red quinoa) - this is what I've always used, and as I mentioned - never had any problems with noticeable debris in the quinoa.

This is the brand we eat, and we have never had anything other than quinoa in the package!

I find pebbles in my Ancient Harvest all the time.

OP I don't have any good suggestions except that I rinse it and then I watch for pebbles/debris while it's cooking and fish them out.

Kalikel

If something might have pebbles, I dump it onto a cookie sheet and do some examining before I rinse.

It's extremely rare that I find anything that doesn't belong, but I do it, all the same. Finding a bad bean instead of a pebble is much more common.

Still, if it saves a tooth, it's worth the very small effort. IMO, anyway.

Need2Exerc1se

I buy whatever prerinsed brand is cheapest at the time (I've tried Bob's Red Mills, Arrowhead Mills, Simple Truth, Ancient Harvest and one other brand I can't remember) and have never had a stone. I don't even rinse mine before cooking.

mattyc772014

I did not know this was possible with quinoa. I've been eating stones and not knowing.

emily_2016March

I Have tried many brands. Almost all the brands have stones and glass like pieces which look like Quinoa in size and color. I came across this post "How To Remove Grit and Sand From Your Quinoa" and I tried it. It worked. Now I'm enjoying stone free, grit free quinoa.
Refer to this post "How To Remove Grit and Sand From Your Quinoa". Here is the post http://homemadein2014.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-to-remove-grit-and-sand-from-your.html