How to remove bitterness from millet porridge. Why is millet porridge bitter? How to remove bitterness from ready-made porridge

Reading 3 min. Published on 01.02.2019

Sometimes porridge is not as tasty as we would like, as bitterness is felt in the finished product. Why millet is bitter in porridge and how it can be removed will be considered in this article.

5 reasons why millet porridge is bitter

There are several reasons for the appearance of bitterness. They are associated with a change in the quality of grain and a violation of the technology of cooking.

Porridge is bitter due to oil oxidation products that form in millet grain. The product contains up to 4% fats that react with oxygen. First, the flour is oxidized, then the millet itself. Oxidation products have a bitter taste.
The reason for the bitterness of the product can be foreign plants, weeds, grass seeds that have fallen into millet during harvesting. They remain in millet with poor cleaning at the current.
Grain can be bitter if millet gets wet during storage. The product has mold and traces of decay.
Millet will become bitter if, during calcination, the product was overexposed in a pan and some of the grains were charred.
If the porridge is very burnt during cooking, bitterness will also be felt in it.

Millet porridge becomes thicker after cooling. So that the product does not burn when heated on the stove, the porridge is stirred, diluted with boiled milk or water.

3 ways to prevent bitterness

If only flour dust has gone rancid, and the grain is of good quality, the quality of millet can be restored. This is done at the preparation stage and at the beginning of cooking.

Washing cereals

To ensure that the cleaning is of high quality, hot and cold water is used for washing. Boiling the liquid is not necessary.

Measure the right amount of millet, pour it into a cup.
The product is poured with hot water, left for 15-20 minutes.
The millet is stirred, the cloudy water is drained.
Rinse the millet with cold running water and pour hot water again.
The procedure is repeated 3-5 times.
Finally, millet is washed in running water.

Video advice on how to remove bitterness from millet

Washing combined with boiling

Boiling water well softens polished millet. In this case, fine flour passes into a liquid.

Grains are measured with a glass, millet is poured into a saucepan and poured with water.
The container is placed on the stove, bring its contents to a boil.
The groats are mixed, the cloudy boiling water is drained.
Pour millet with clean hot water, bring the product to a boil.
The procedure is repeated 3-5 times. After that, the millet will soften and be cleaned.

Some cooks believe that cold water is enough to prepare millet. The groats are washed in a basin (“in seven waters”), or on a sieve, under a running stream for at least 15 minutes.

Express method of cleaning millet

This method is used when cooking time is limited.

A glass of cereal is poured with the same amount of water.
Let the contents of the pot come to a boil.
The cereal is transferred to a sieve and placed in the sink.
Millet is thoroughly washed with cold water.

How to remove bitterness from ready-made porridge

It is almost impossible to get rid of bitterness in millet porridge. But if the bitter taste is not strong, then it's worth a try.

The feeling of bitterness is reduced by vanillin, cinnamon, ginger, a large amount of sugar or fragrant berries. You can add fresh raspberries and strawberries, strawberries, cherries, currants.

❌ Vegetable fats decompose with the participation of microorganisms and without them. Decomposition products are diverse, some of them are harmful to the human body. If the porridge is very bitter, you can not eat it.

It is better to throw away bitter porridge and a supply of millet. Such food can harm people with diseases of the stomach, intestines and internal organs. Rancid porridge should not be fed to children.

Millet seeds, from which the familiar millet groats are obtained, are cleaned from the film that covers the outer shell of the seed during processing. Millet, in principle, like any other grain crop, differs in the content of vegetable fat. And, despite the fact that it is no more than 4%, vegetable fat is still present in millet. Thanks to him, millet porridge begins to taste bitter. The reason lies in the fact that vegetable fats tend to oxidize very quickly, which is manifested in the preparation of dishes - like the bitterness of porridge.

What kind of millet porridge will be bitter?

Not all millet porridge acquires a bitter taste, but only that which is cooked from old millet flour. It happens that millet has been stored for too long and just managed to disappear.

Porridge cooked from absolutely fresh millet can also be bitter. In this case, the product during manufacture, or maybe immediately after packaging, was incorrectly stored, and instantaneous fat oxidation occurred, which spoiled the taste of the dish. It turns out that it is not the millet itself that is bitter, but the vegetable fat that is present in it. I wonder if it is possible to get rid of this bitterness?

How to prevent the bitterness of ready-made millet porridge?

When the porridge is already cooked, then it is almost impossible to get rid of the taste of bitterness. You can try to brighten it up a little by adding vanillin or some berries to the dish, maybe fruits or even nuts. But when the millet has not yet been boiled, it is quite possible to “wash off” the oxidized fat from it, and then the finished dish will not acquire bitterness.

To remove vegetable fat from millet, you need to fill it with warm, almost hot water for several minutes. It is clear that it is useless to use cold water for such purposes.

After, when the time comes to drain the water, you need to take a spoon and stir the millet in it (in the water) several times. Only after that the water is drained. Pour hot water into the millet again, if all the fat is washed off, then the liquid will be almost transparent, and if not, the water will again acquire a dirty shade and then the washing will need to be repeated again. You can wash millet groats many times until the color of the water completely suits you.

There is another way to wash off vegetable fat from millet, which may seem more acceptable to someone. It at least takes a little less effort. Millet groats are simply laid out in a cooking pot, and when the water boils, it is completely drained along with the dissolved oxidized fat. Yes, this method is much simpler, but, unfortunately, it is not always convenient.

When all methods of cleaning millet groats from oxidized vegetable fat are futile, and no matter how you wash your groats, it is still bitter when cooked, this means one thing - the millet is gone!

It is better to throw away such millet groats and in no case use it for cooking, especially if there are small children in the family. This product can cause poisoning! Even if the taste of bitterness can be interrupted by some other products with a more specific taste, it is better not to eat such a dish!

Millet porridge is an incredibly necessary dish, useful for both children and adults. It is rich in various vitamins (especially those necessary for the normal function of the brain and muscles of group B). Also, porridge is saturated with many macronutrients that any organism needs. But despite the impressive benefits, this porridge appears less and less every year in the daily (and even monthly) diet of modern people. There is a logical explanation for this undesirable phenomenon. The reason is that sometimes ready-made millet porridge is bitter. Why can it have such an unpleasant flavor that spoils its taste? Let's try to uncover this secret and at the same time find out if there are ways to get rid of excessive bitterness.

Why is millet porridge bitter?

We will be able to deal with this issue that worries many housewives in more detail, remembering what the cereal used to make millet porridge is.

Millet is the seed of a plant such as millet. Millet grains undergo the procedure of their purification from the outer dark shell, in order to then get to our table in the form of a ready-made dish. If we recall that this cereal has up to 4% vegetable fat in its bowels, we can assume why millet porridge is bitter. This fat is highly acidic. It is very quickly able to oxidize (which, in fact, it does). That is why millet porridge is bitter.

Caring for loved ones

Caring housewives know a few simple tricks, thanks to which the dish turns out great. How to prepare cereals so that your family eats millet porridge with pleasure and desires an additional portion? Agree, it’s not very pleasant when you devote time to cooking a dish, anticipating how the family will be delighted and begin to praise the cook, but instead you get the question: “Why is millet porridge even bitter with milk?”.

To avoid such troubles, it is necessary to devote some time to the pre-treatment of cereals. Millet must be sorted out. During this procedure, we remove all atypical inclusions from the total mass of bright yellow cereals. Grains in a dark shell should also not fall into the future porridge.

And now, when all the garbage is removed, we proceed to washing the millet groats. First, we do this in water at room temperature. Three times will be enough. However, this is not all. The next three times, wash the millet in hot water. At the same time, we grind the grains of cereals with our hands - this is how the oxidized vegetable fat comes off their surface. Actually, hot water is necessary precisely so that this fat is slightly softened. Of course, these processes are not visible to the eye. But after washing with hot water, in most cases, eaters (like the hostess) are not worried about the question: “Why is millet porridge bitter on water (or milk)?”. Groats perform equally well with milk and water.

If a subtle bitterness is felt in the finished porridge, you can save the situation by adding vanillin, nuts or berries.

Choosing the right millet groats

Fresh cereals are unlikely to be too annoying with their bitterness. The dish can be spoiled by old millet or the one that was stored incorrectly before it got to the packing shop. You can get rid of bitterness even at the stage of purchasing the product. The algorithm is simple.

We check the date of packaging of the goods (it is important that it is clearly printed and not sealed on top with another price tag). Experts say that cereals go rancid already in the fourth month of storage.
Millet grains should not be chipped: this point must be taken into account. Good grits will be the same, polished and sifted.
The color of the contents of the package is bright yellow.

If you buy a good product, then there will be no questions about bitter porridge.

More recently, by the standards of history, only two centuries ago, millet porridge in Rus' was traditional dish on the table of any peasant family almost daily. Millet groats were also added to other dishes, such as soups, cooking. Over time, millet lost ground in favor of other products that seemed to us more noble and useful.

Other cereals and products appeared on the markets fast food, which successfully allowed you to forget about this cereal. But it is millet porridge that is one of the most useful dishes, which has everything - from amino acids to vitamins of group B, A and E, microelements. And yet, many modern people are again remembering the old days and, as before, they are trying to cook millet. But not for everyone it turns out to be lush, tasty and boiled, and it also happens to be bitter, taken ill.

How to cook millet porridge in milk so that it does not taste bitter?

Some housewives do not know why such porridge is bitter and how this trouble can be avoided. When choosing cereals in the store, pay close attention to the expiration date indicated on the package, an expired product can give this very unpleasant aftertaste. The grain should be bright yellow. Another important point: before cooking, millet should be washed for a long time and thoroughly, until the water becomes absolutely clear. It is not very convenient to do this in a colander; it is better to use a sieve immersed in a cup of water.

It is impossible to store millet groats at home in sealed plastic bags and tightly closed containers, it can “suffocate”. Before direct preparation, it is better to carefully sort it out and remove all black or reddish grains. If it was not possible to check the millet for “smell” in the store, then you can do it at home, immediately after purchase. If the cereal smells of mustiness, then it should be returned to the store, the goods will be accepted back from you and the money will be returned back. This is the law of consumer rights.

Some housewives adhere to the following tips:

1. Pre-scald and keep the grits in boiling water for about a quarter of an hour.
2. The pan, before putting the grits, is greased with butter.
3. Before adding milk, the latter is boiled.
4. Soak the grits for half an hour.
5. Washed in several waters before direct cooking.
6. You can not use cereals that have been stored for more than six months.
7. After the first boil, drain the first water.

Recipe for millet porridge

Millet porridge during heating can greatly increase in size, it is better not to add cereals to it than to shift it, otherwise it will simply “run away”. To prepare a more boiled porridge, the amount of liquid can be increased, salt and sugar are added to taste. Pour two glasses of water or more into a glass of sorted and washed grain. Put a pot with a thick bottom on a strong fire, wait for it to boil, then reduce the fire, cook the porridge for ten minutes. Boil two glasses of milk separately and pour into the mass when most of the water has already boiled out of it.

Stir, add salt to taste and granulated sugar, cook until tender over low heat, it will take about another half an hour. The readiness of the dish is determined by taste. Wrap the pan with porridge in a blanket and let stand until it cools completely.

There is one more original way preparation: put prepared millet, water, oil, milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Put all this in the oven, considering that the dishes must be appropriate.

This method will help to avoid periodic stirring, decreasing or adding fire and other measures, and the porridge will turn out even tastier.

When serving, flavor the dish with a piece of fresh butter, usually in the middle of the dish.

Millet porridge can be improved and diversified with various sweet additives, such as honey, raisins, prunes, dried apricots, and other dried fruits. If the dish is being prepared for a child, then it can be lured with multi-colored pieces of apple, kiwi, banana, which must be finely chopped and put three to five minutes before the end of cooking. Another option: separately fry finely chopped turnip onion in sunflower oil and season the finished porridge with it, mix and pepper, let it brew.

Millet porridge is an excellent side dish for fish, fried vegetables, meat or chicken. Everything is nutritious and saturated with vitamins and minerals, and the digestive tract will only be grateful for it.

Conclusion

Millet groats are tasty and healthy, but humanity successfully forgets about it. It is also inexpensive, with all its advantages. But at present, conversations and calls are being held so that a person eats properly, and in the list useful products includes millet groats. Eat right and stay healthy. Good luck!

Causes of bitterness

To deal with this issue, let's start from the beginning. Millet groats are made from millet seeds. During processing, the husk covering the shell of the cereal is removed from them. After that, millet is packaged and delivered to retail outlets for sale. Most often, porridge is prepared from such a cereal in water or milk.

Many housewives have noticed that, subject to the millet cooking technology, sometimes the dish has perfect taste, and sometimes it is bitter. The reason is simple, millet seeds contain vegetable fats. And over time, when interacting with oxygen, any fat begins to oxidize. The result of such a process is rancid vegetable oils, which spoil the dish, provoking an unpleasant aftertaste.

Let's highlight the main causes of bitterness:

use of old grain;
using fresh millet that has been stored under the wrong conditions (for example, not in a dark and cool place, but in direct sunlight).

To reduce the risks of acquiring low-quality millet, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for choosing it.

How to choose millet?

First of all, when buying millet groats, you should pay attention to its appearance. Good groats have a uniform, bright yellow color without white bloom, spots and other inclusions. The faded color of the grain and the presence of dirt indicate that you have a poor quality product. When choosing a product, be sure to check the expiration date. If everything is in order, you can safely take millet.

When buying millet groats by weight, you should purchase goods from time-tested sellers. There are unscrupulous “traders” who repackage expired grains, stick a label with a new date, and put the products on display again. Even if the above rules are observed, everyone has risks of acquiring rancid millet.

If this happens, you need to know what to do so that the porridge turns out without bitterness.

What to do so that millet does not taste bitter?

If porridge is cooked from rancid seed, it will no longer be possible to get rid of this problem. You can only try to “soften” the dish by adding steamed dried fruits, berries, jam or vanillin to it. If the cereal is just to be cooked, then you can protect yourself in advance. There is only one way to remove bitterness: by washing off the oxidized oils from the millet shell.

To do this, you need to sort out the cereal, rinse it from dust and pour hot water. It is useless to use cold liquid. After 2-3 minutes, the cereal is mixed, and the water is drained. Next, you need to once again pour the millet with hot water and repeat the manipulation. Such actions should be repeated until the liquid becomes completely transparent. Turbidity will indicate incomplete removal of fat.

There is a slightly different way to get rid of bitterness. It will require less effort. To remove an unpleasant aftertaste, millet must be poured with cold water and put on the stove over high heat. At the moment of boiling, you need to drain the liquid with dissolved rancid fats, rinse the grits from oil residues, then pour clean water again and cook until tender.

Is it possible to eat a dish with a rancid taste?

If the cereal has not expired, but the dish prepared from it has a slight taste of bitterness, it is allowed to be eaten. However, if bitterness remains after thoroughly washing the cereal or boiling it, it is better to throw out the finished porridge along with the remaining millet. You should not add jams or marmalade to such a dish to reduce bitterness, you must immediately refuse it. Otherwise, such a product can cause health problems, from diarrhea to nausea and vomiting.

Porridge from rancid cereals is especially dangerous for young children.

To reduce the risk of oxidation vegetable fats in millet, you do not need to buy it "for future use". Long term storage millet reduces not only its taste, but also beneficial effects on the body. It is also important to take care of the correct safety of the purchased product.

To store millet cereals, it is best to use a refrigerator. It is important that the grain is kept in a dark and cool place in sealed container. Storage in torn packaging or plastic bags is undesirable. It is best to pour the cereal into a glass jar and close it with a tight lid. Thanks to the observance of the recommendations for the selection and storage of millet, as well as its proper cooking, you can cook delicious and healthy porridge for the whole family.

You will learn more about how to get rid of bitterness in millet porridge in the following video.