removing stones & debris from quinoa

sunsetwest
sunsetwest Posts: 199 Member
edited October 19 in Food and Nutrition
so i was sitting here enjoying my quinoa, kale and tofu dinner when all of a sudden i chomp on a pebble in my quinoa. the hubs heard the crunch from six feet away! i really hope i didn't crack a tooth.

i rinsed the "pre-rinsed seeds" four times and tediously pecked at it for anything abnormal. i do this every time and as thoroughly as i can, but it never fails that i find something gritty or rock-hard.

does anyone have any tips on how to remove stones and other miscellaneous debris from quinoa? i love the stuff, but i don't want to risk losing a tooth over it ...
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Replies

  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Hmm. I've never had this type of problem and I eat quinoa fairly regularly. Maybe certain brands are better than others? Just a thought...
  • watercolormama
    watercolormama Posts: 131 Member
    My only suggestion is to buy Bob's Red Mill. I have never had a problem with their quinoa. Good luck..
  • sunsetwest
    sunsetwest Posts: 199 Member
    the brand i have is nature's earthly choice organic. it comes in a zip-top bag. my regular stores carry bob's, so i'll try that out next. i'm almost through this bag.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    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.
  • sweettthings
    sweettthings Posts: 157 Member
    I tried the Nature's Earthly Choice Quinoa last week and every single person at the dinner table got the same horrible "crunch" you describe. The piece I fished out of my mouth felt and looked like glass, but I suppose it could have been a piece of quartz. This was our first experience with quinoa, I'm glad to hear it may just be a problem with that particular brand. We liked the flavor, but it wasn't good enough to risk our teeth.
  • slgnunez
    slgnunez Posts: 1
    I would recommend Eden Foods, Alter Eco, Ancient Harvest, Bob's Red Mill (make sure it's the Bolivian quinoa!), or the trader joe's brand. They all use royal quinoa, which is well cleaned.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I get Bob's Red Mill from Costco and have never found any debris.
  • sunsetwest
    sunsetwest Posts: 199 Member
    sorry you had the same experience! it is good to know that it's specific to the brand, though.
    I tried the Nature's Earthly Choice Quinoa last week and every single person at the dinner table got the same horrible "crunch" you describe. The piece I fished out of my mouth felt and looked like glass, but I suppose it could have been a piece of quartz. This was our first experience with quinoa, I'm glad to hear it may just be a problem with that particular brand. We liked the flavor, but it wasn't good enough to risk our teeth.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
    Wow! That's scary.

    Only thing I've found so far was from whole quinoa I got from the bulk section at my Co-Op there was a few leaves in it. I'm fine with that though. Rocks though??????????? Yikes! I will avoid that brand in the future.
  • jenbridges
    jenbridges Posts: 213 Member
    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! :smile:
  • amckim
    amckim Posts: 1
    I am eating the Bob's Red Mill and it happens often enough that I "Googled" and found this thread. Hoping it was just a bad bag, becasue it is miserable to get the rocks when you aren't expecting them. Or any other time.
  • geo_cook
    geo_cook Posts: 1
    I've had the crunchy bits in my quinoa using multiple brands. They're small grains of sand that aren't removed before selling. I was frustrated trying to remove these tiny grains but finally realized that my gold pan should work. I put all the dry quinoa in the gold pan, constantly agitated it, and slowly poured it out into a mixing bowl. In the end, I captured about 10-20 grains of sand in the bottom of the gold pan. So it seems to work, because, just like gold grains, the sand is heavier than the quinoa and settles to the bottom. It's almost as gratifying as finding yellow flakes of gold in the bottom of the pan!
  • neniaholmbergryan
    neniaholmbergryan Posts: 1
    I have recently tried quinoa too with the same results. It was organic, pre-washed too, but I still rinsed it. It definitely feels like sand, my husband said egg shells, but still grosses me out when I eat it. I think I would enjoy it, if it were not for that. Oh, and the brand is Nature's Earthly Choice. Maybe I will try one of the other brands mentioned. I'm getting rid of the rest of this. Thanks for the other suggestions!
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
    I always rinse quinoa for a full 4 minutes.
  • anniebellxo
    anniebellxo Posts: 1
    oh my goodness ! i'm so disappointed to hear we both bought the SAME brand !! i never had a problem with it til now - : ( last two bags i've bought have had gritty bits - thought it was dirt but i found a piece and it was clear and round, a glass bit ? kind of scary actually. best to steer clear of it, i think !
  • rachaelart
    rachaelart Posts: 1
    I found your post on a quick google search because I was sick of biting down on sand and wanted to know what I was doing wrong! Thanks for posting this because aparently it is the kind I buy!

    I have been using Jansal Valley. I guess I'll buy "bob's" now!
  • risa_25
    risa_25 Posts: 5 Member
    I have never had an issue with the bags Earthly Choice until now. Many 'glass' pieces!! :(
  • NancySime1
    NancySime1 Posts: 1 Member
    YES!!! Rocks and sticks in EARTHLY CHOICE Brand! IT SUX! never buy that brand again
  • smmolido
    smmolido Posts: 1
    Unfortunately, I am currently using Bob's Red Mill and about every fourth bite I get gritty stuff. I washed very well too.
  • goeasy1
    goeasy1 Posts: 1
    I have a friend in Colombia who cooked the Quinoa with a pressure pot. This made the debris fall and stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Re6bo
    Re6bo Posts: 1
    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
    badzoe Posts: 132 Member
    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
    fitness72045 Posts: 1
    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
    pumina Posts: 13
    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
    whiskeyhut Posts: 59 Member
    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
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    try rice instead. much lower instances of debris in food.

    :p
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    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
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    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
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    (i hope everyone's rinsing the quinoa to get rid of the soapy outer texture)

    Some brands are prewashed.
  • milanametaken
    milanametaken Posts: 1
    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.
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