How to soak pork and beef kidneys before cooking?

Pork and beef kidneys are a real delicacy with an unusual pleasant taste. But many of them do not indulge themselves, because they do not know how to cook offal correctly - they turn out tough and give an unpleasant smell. To make the dish tasty, first of all, you need to know how to soak the kidneys so that there is no smell.

How to choose quality kidneys?

The taste of the finished delicacy directly depends on the quality of the raw materials. When choosing, you need to consider that beef kidneys are more rigid and require more thorough processing, but at the same time their taste is more saturated than that of pork.

In order not to buy a low-quality product, you should immediately pay attention to the following signs:

• appearance - they must be intact, without damage, defects, cuts;
• color - brown or red-brown, uniform;
• age - bruising and dark spots on the surface indicate old age.

Kidneys are best prepared immediately after purchase, as they quickly deteriorate. If this is not possible, you can put them in the freezer. In this state, they will not disappear for another 3-4 months, but the taste will not be fully preserved.

Soaking Methods

The main problem when cooking offal dishes is an unpleasant odor. It occurs due to the high concentration of urea. Soaking helps to get rid of it.

For the night

This is the most common method, involving prolonged soaking of the offal. To save time, housewives are advised to soak the kidneys in the evening, and start cooking in the morning.

1. First, the raw materials are washed and dried, then light fat is cut with a sharp knife.
2. Large kidneys are cut in half, and small ones are deeply incised to facilitate urea leaching.
3. They are placed in a large plastic bowl and filled with cold water. If possible, it is advisable to drain and replace with fresh water several times.

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

In milk

So that offal does not stink, they can be soaked in milk. This will make them softer and give a delicate aftertaste.

1. Kidneys are cut, washed, and inedible elements are removed.
2. Stack 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 hold, the tastier the dish will turn out).
3. The milk is drained, the kidneys are washed and dried with napkins.

After that, they can be fried, boiled, stewed.

Express way

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

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

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

The benefits of the kidneys and their use in cooking

Pork and beef kidneys are valued for their high content of vitamins and minerals. In addition, doctors and nutritionists recommend 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 dieters);
• a large amount of iron, which is involved in the process of blood formation and is useful for people with anemia;
• high content of selenium, 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, offal may seem unattractive, you can cook very tasty dishes from them, such as pickle or a meat hodgepodge. In addition, the kidneys are prepared in such variations:

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

The kidneys are served as first and second courses, side dishes, they are part of 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 on the table there will be new dishes seasoned with a variety of sauces, spices and side dishes.