Processing pork kidneys before cooking. How long to cook kidneys and how to cook them correctly

How to cook kidneys?

As you know, offal is often used in traditional cuisines of different countries. Kidneys contain useful vitamins and substances. Perhaps the most important problem in preparing kidneys is to properly cut them and remove the smell, which is a very serious drawback of this type of offal. But if you learn how to cook kidneys, you will understand that this is not just a delicious dinner. With the help of kidneys you can prepare a real delicacy. Let's take a closer look at how to cook pork and beef kidneys.

Additional recipes with video

And in conclusion, we offer you a video on how to cook odorless pork kidneys and then beautifully decorate the finished dish.

Pork kidneys stewed with onions and carrots

Rassolnik with pork kidneys

2 years ago

One of the most useful by-products in terms of its content of valuable components, low-calorie by-products is pork kidneys. How long should you cook them to make them tasty and without any foreign odors? Hurry up to learn all the tricks of their preparation in order to diversify your menu with an economical and appetizing dish.

An offal that requires a special approach - boil the kidneys!

Directly cook the pork kidneys for 40 minutes (if they are cut into pieces) to an hour.

But before you start boiling, they are blanched, soaked, and pickled. These are mandatory steps, because due to the large amount of mineral salts, such an offal has a very unpleasant odor.

On a note! Immerse the kidneys only in boiling water!

There is another way to rid the kidneys of an unpleasant odor - boiling. How long should you cook pork kidneys in this case? The total cooking time is reduced somewhat, but you will still need to immerse them in water for 2 hours first (if you have time, leave the kidneys in water overnight). After which they need to be washed, pour another portion of water, and put the pan on the fire. After boiling, drain the water, pour in a new portion again and boil the kidneys for 40 minutes.

To eliminate the smell of urea and make the taste of the buds more delicate, you can also soak them in milk in the manner described above.

Even those housewives who know how and how much to cook beef kidneys do not always get the desired result. This is because many of them ignore the rules for preprocessing the component. Despite the fact that this procedure takes a total of several hours. As for the timing of boiling beef kidneys, they range from 50 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes.

Only after all stages of processing have been completed can you begin to prepare the main dish based on the boiled offal.

Removing the smell

1. First of all, wash and dry the kidneys with a paper towel (this will make it easier to work with them). 2. Trim off any excess white fat. 3. Now we get rid of the smell. There are several soaking options for this. Usually, before this, the kidney is cut lengthwise or soaked entirely. You can also slightly cut the surface with a “mesh” so that accumulated aromas are better washed out.

Option 1. Double boiling

Soak the buds in plain water for 2-12 hours. Then rinse, add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain the water, fill it with cold water again and boil again.

Option 2: Rinse in vinegar

Pour 300-400 ml of white vinegar into a bowl and add a heaping tablespoon of salt. Rinse your kidneys until the water becomes cloudy. Place the bowl under running water and let the product “rinse” for about 20 minutes.

Option 3. Soaking in milk

Fill the kidneys with milk (it perfectly absorbs odors and adds tenderness to the taste) and leave for 1-3 hours. Then rinse thoroughly. Unfortunately, milk cannot be used after this.

You should not skip the soaking step, because pork kidneys, in contrast, almost always have a very unpleasant, pungent odor.

How to properly prepare beef kidneys for boiling?

The process of pre-processing beef kidneys is not complicated, but it takes a lot of time. It allows you to bring the product to an optimal state, even if it is not of the highest quality (for example, it was obtained from not the youngest cow). There are several stages of preparation:

1. First, you need to cut off everything unnecessary from the buds. These are films, channels, fat and veins, which during heat treatment only become harder and are not chewable, which spoils the product. Even if these elements account for a significant part of the live weight, you should not try to save, everything must be removed to the maximum.
2. We wash clean kidneys in cold water, changing the liquid several times.
3. Be sure to soak the offal in water, or even better, in milk, for 2-3 hours. If possible, change the selected fluid at least a couple of times.

Now all that remains is to remove the product, rinse it under running water and cut into small pieces. Despite the fact that the kidneys can be boiled in their entirety, it is better to grind the component. This will allow you to spend a minimum of time on bringing it to readiness and remove internal vessels and films.

How to store?

After purchasing lamb kidneys, you need to cook them immediately, since these offal products are perishable. Kidneys can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day, but only if they are immersed in water or milk.

The by-products can be washed, fat clots and vessels can be trimmed, and the ureters can be cut out, and then the kidneys can be packaged in tight bags and placed in the freezer. The shelf life of such buds will be 3-4 months, but they will not retain all the beneficial substances.

The process of cooking beef kidneys in a saucepan

Place the prepared offal in a cooking container and fill it with water, which should exceed its level by 2-3 cm. Place the dish on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. After this, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 5-6 minutes. Then drain the water and rinse the workpiece under running water.

If a greasy coating appears on the walls of the pan, it needs to be washed off. Again, place the product in cold water and repeat the entire procedure. In total, this process must be repeated so many times that the total duration of boiling the kidneys is from 50 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, depending on the quality of the component and the size of the pieces.

Advice: When you have to deal with very fresh offal obtained from a young animal, you don’t have to worry too much. In this case, it is enough to boil the component twice for half an hour, changing the water only once and washing the pan.

Taking into account the specifics of preparing the product, a multicooker, double boiler and pressure cooker are used extremely rarely for processing it. In extreme cases, you can use the microwave. True, you will have to independently determine the duration, frequency and power of the exposure.

a brief description of

Lamb kidneys belong to category I by-products, since their chemical composition (presence of useful components) is not inferior to lamb.

What do they look like?

The offal is shaped somewhat like a flat tomato. The surface color is brown or brownish, it can be lighter or darker depending on the age of the ram. The buds are dense and fleshy due to the high fluid content in the fibers. The surface is smooth.

Size and weight

Lamb kidneys are small in size and can fit in the open palm of an adult. The weight of the kidney varies from 100 g to 200 g depending on the size and age of the animal from which the offal was removed. In stores they are sold in packages weighing from 500 g.

The product has an unusual, unlike anything else taste. When properly prepared with preliminary soaking, lamb kidneys turn out tender and juicy, which makes the dish almost a delicacy. The taste is somewhat reminiscent of young lamb meat.

Smell

The aroma of urea and lamb is specific and pungent, but in a young animal the kidneys do not have such a strong odor. After soaking, only the subtle aroma of lamb remains.

Recipes for delicious dishes based on boiled offal

A wide variety of dishes can be prepared from boiled beef kidneys. If you don’t want to limit yourself to mixing them with stewed vegetables, you should try the following recipes:

• Mushroom salad with kidneys. In addition to 150 g of boiled kidneys, we will need 300 g of boiled chicken fillet, a couple of tablespoons of chopped dill, 3 tablespoons of small pickled champignons, 5 cherry tomatoes, a small onion, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. All components just need to be crushed to the desired size, mixed, seasoned with spices and vegetable oil.

• Take 300 g of boiled kidneys, three large potatoes, 3 pickled (not pickled!) cucumbers, an onion, a carrot, 3 tablespoons of butter, half a glass of pearl barley, a little parsley, basil and salt. Soak the pearl barley for an hour, finely chop the kidneys. Peel the carrots and onions, chop them and fry them in butter. Add chopped cucumbers to them and simmer for a quarter of an hour. Place pearl barley, diced potatoes and kidneys into the meat broth. After 10 minutes of boiling, add all other ingredients and cook until fully cooked. Serve with chopped herbs and sour cream.

• We will need 300 g of boiled kidneys, half a glass of green peas, half an onion, a bunch of lettuce, a teaspoon of wine vinegar, dill, 3 tablespoons of sour cream and salt. Cut the kidneys into small pieces and sprinkle with vinegar. We tear the washed and dried lettuce with our hands and finely chop the onion. Combine all the ingredients, thoroughly but gently knead the mass, season with salt and sour cream.

In addition, soaked and properly boiled buds make an excellent filling for pies and pies; they can be used to make pates and snack cakes. The already boiled component is often added to a variety of soups, stews and porridges in order to give them taste and nutrition. It should be remembered that boiled beef kidneys must be used immediately after cooking. Even if they sit in the refrigerator for only a few hours, their texture will noticeably deteriorate, and the taste will no longer be the same. But ready-made dishes with this component can last in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Most housewives do not want to buy pork kidneys because they do not know how to cook them properly in order to get rid of the specific smell. If, in the old fashioned way, as our grandmothers recommended, you soak the kidneys in water and then cook for a long time, then you can say that there will be practically no smell, but you still want to know how else you can prepare this offal.

How to choose pork kidneys

It turns out that in order for the kidneys to turn out tasty, you need to be able to choose them correctly. Namely, you will need an exclusively fresh product. Pay attention to the color: the shade of this product should be red, but not dark, but light.

The buds should be elastic if you lightly press on them with your finger, as well as shiny and, very importantly, smooth. If you pressed and dents remain, then this product is no longer fresh, as are dark spots, as well as mucus.

If frozen kidneys are available for sale, it is also undesirable to take them.

How to get rid of pork kidney odor

What you need to know to cook odorless kidneys. Method one:

• The offal must be thoroughly rinsed in water and dried with paper towels.
• Armed with a sharp knife, cut off the fatty areas (or rather, light fat).
• Now you can think about the most important thing: to get rid of the smell, you need to soak the kidneys in water. To do this, you need to cut each unit lengthwise, or you can leave the buds whole. But it’s still better to make thin cuts on the surface so that unpleasant aromatic substances are washed out faster.
• You need to take cold water and soak for a long time - for 8 hours. Moreover, it is advisable to drain the water every 2 hours and take fresh water.
• After 8 hours of soaking, the kidneys need to be dried, the film, vessels (at least the largest), ureters removed and rinsed well again under running water.

Method two:

• Boil, but first you need to prepare the kidneys again, leave them in cold water for at least 2 hours, and maximum overnight.
• After this, rinse the offal, add fresh water, and put it on the stove. When the water boils, drain it, fill the kidneys with fresh water, and wait until it boils again.

Method three:

• The kidneys can be soaked in an express way. In order to save time, the kidneys need to be filled with white vinegar (400 ml), add salt (1 heaped tbsp).
• Soak until the water becomes cloudy.

Method four:

• Place the kidneys in a bowl and cover with water.
• Place the bowl in the sink, open the tap so that the water barely drips - let the water flow directly into the bowl with the offal.
• Rinse in this way for 20 minutes.

Method five:

• Soak the kidneys in milk. First, the offal must be prepared, rinsed thoroughly under running water, and fat removed. Cut into 2 parts.
• Place the kidneys in a bowl and cover with cold milk. Leave for 3 hours (minimum 1 hour).
• Then rinse the product (pour out the milk!) and you can cook. This method will remove the unpleasant smell of urea and give the kidneys a delicate taste.

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.

How to cook odorless pork kidneys

Now let's prepare a delicious dish - pork kidneys in sour cream.

To work you will need:

• pork kidneys – 1 kg;
• medium-sized carrots and onions - 1 pc.;
• sour cream – 3 tbsp;
• garlic – 3 cloves;
• soy sauce – 3 tbsp;
• milk - a glass;
• butter – 1 tsp;
• salt and ground black pepper - to taste.

How to cook kidneys so that there is no smell:

• First, you need to soak the offal in cold milk for 1 hour, then double boil it: add fresh water, put it on the stove and wait until the water boils. Drain the water, pour in new water and wait until it boils again. The kidneys cook quickly.
• Drain the water, rinse the kidneys, process (free from films, vessels, etc.), leave on the table, let them cool.
• Carrots and onions need to be peeled and chopped (carrots - grated, onions - cut into cubes).
• Fry vegetables in vegetable oil with garlic (cut into slices).
• When the onions and carrots are almost ready, you need to add the kidneys (cut into strips or cubes) and fry until lightly browned.
• From the remaining products: soy sauce, sour cream, salt and spices, you need to make a sauce and pour it over the almost finished dish. Simmer for only 20 minutes and you can serve.

Kidneys go well with sauces and will also accompany pickled cucumbers. Can be served with any side dish. Bon appetit!

Most often we use standard dishes in our diet, but sometimes we want to cook something tasty from products that are unusual for us.

When looking for recipes, we turn to either a cookbook or a cooking website. Of course, there are no particular difficulties in finding recipes on the Internet now. Resourceful housewives post online step-by-step preparations for a wide variety of delicacies. One of these delicacies is kidney dishes. But not every housewife would risk preparing such a healthy but specific dish, because... There are quite a lot of nuances in its preparation, and if you don’t follow the step-by-step instructions, you won’t get any tasty dish from the kidneys.

Kidneys are a godsend for lovers of offal delicacies

In addition to excellent taste, kidneys have another advantage - they are a dietary dish rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Pork kidneys are a storehouse of B vitamins, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus and other useful elements. They contain substances that are involved in the process of hematopoiesis in the body. Beef kidneys contain a lot of iron, zinc, and selenium, which blocks the development of cancer cells.

When choosing kidneys in a store, pay attention to their freshness and kidney fat: the kidneys should have a uniform white color and uniform structure, and the presence of fat on the kidneys is a good indicator, although it will need to be carefully removed during the cooking process.

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.

Dishes made from pork kidneys are not particularly popular in our area, although in other cuisines of the world they are considered almost a delicacy. The reason for this is ignorance of how to cook odorless pork kidneys and avoid a “rubbery” consistency.

According to the recipes of our grandmothers, we soak this offal for a long time (which, in fact, is correct if the pig that gave it was old, or the kidneys themselves are not very fresh) and cook for hours. But it is the prolonged thermal effect that has such a detrimental effect on the delicate structure and makes the dish practically inedible . Therefore, below we will give some tips on how to properly prepare pork kidneys to create a real culinary delight.

Rules for preparing kidneys

You will get an excellent kidney dish only if you follow all the rules for preparing them. And the first rule: never mix offal. If you undertake to prepare a dish from kidneys, then use only kidneys. The second rule in preparing kidneys: before cooking, the kidneys must be soaked for at least 6 hours. And don’t forget to change the water as soon as it turns red. Approximately every 2 hours. It is better to carry out this procedure in a room with an air temperature from +10 to +18 degrees. And one more important point before soaking the kidneys: cut the kidneys into small cubes. To speed up the soaking process, add a little vinegar to cold water.

How long should you cook the kidneys?

The process of cooking kidneys depends on their type. Beef kidneys are washed and placed in a saucepan with cold water, wait until the water with the kidneys boils. After this, you need to drain the water, take hot water from the kettle and cook over medium heat until done. If you decide to cook pork or lamb kidneys, the procedure for cooking them will be slightly different. These types of buds should be placed in a pan with already hot water, brought to a boil, let the buds cook a little and drain the water. Then pour hot water over the kidneys again and boil.

This procedure must be repeated at least three times until the water stops smelling and gets rid of the yellow color. As soon as you get rid of the unpleasant odor and yellow tint of the water, cook the kidneys for 40 minutes over medium heat. On average, the process of cooking kidneys takes 1.5 hours.

Do not forget to salt the kidneys you prepared, but remember that you should only do this after you have changed the water for the last time. Also, 30 minutes before the kidneys are ready, add the onion, black peppercorns, and bay leaf to the pan.

Description

Lamb kidneys are an offal that is distinguished not only by its unusual taste, but also by its high content of useful elements and protein. The buds have a specific, repulsive odor, which is why many housewives are disdainful of preparing the product, but after proper soaking and cleaning, you can completely get rid of the unpleasant odor. The most popular are the kidneys of young sheep, as they have a delicate texture and contain less blood and urea, which makes the cooking process much faster.