Kelp is a kind of seaweed plant that grows in the sea, and because of its overall appearance, it is called "kelp". Kelp is a very common vegetable in our daily life, although the price is not expensive, but the nutritional value is very high. Rich in crude protein, crude fiber, inorganic salt and iodine, calcium, iron and other substances, especially the content of iodine is as high as 7 to 10%, and the content of crude protein, calcium and iron is several times or even dozens of times higher than spinach. Therefore, eating kelp regularly is very beneficial to our body.
However, because kelp is a plant that grows in the sea, the volume is relatively large, so it is generally made into dried kelp for sale, which is convenient for storage and transportation, but this also brings certain troubles to consumers when cooking and eating. Although there are many ways to eat kelp, and the cooking method is not cumbersome, such as the commonly made kelp bone soup, cold mixed kelp shreds, etc., but the cleaning before cooking is a very headache for many people.
Because the dried kelp we eat is made of fresh kelp salvaged from the sea and dried directly on the seashore, there is a lot of sediment and various dirty things attached to it, and there is a thick layer of table salt on the surface of the kelp. In addition to table salt, there are also mannitol, fucoidan, alginic acid and other substances. These substances have a strong water absorption and expansion, and at the same time, when encountering water, they will become viscous colloids, which is why we feel that the surface of kelp is sticky and slippery when cleaning kelp. In addition, kelp is, after all, a creature that grows in the sea, and is born with a fishy smell.
Therefore, before we eat kelp, if we do not like the fishy smell and stickiness of kelp, then we must not only clean the dirt of kelp, but also remove a certain amount of seafood and sticky substances. Usually, the more common method is to soak the kelp directly in water. However, there are several bad places about directly soaking kelp with water: one is that it takes a long time, often more than ten hours in advance to foam; second, after a long period of soaking, many nutrients dissolved in water will be lost in large quantities; third, many stubborn dirt cannot be removed well; fourth, it cannot effectively reduce the fishy smell of kelp.
Well, mastering the correct cleaning method of a set of kelp is very convenient and practical for us who like to eat kelp. It's time-saving and labor-saving, and it works great. Let's share the tips for cleaning kelp for everyone, let's take a look.
Step 1: Soak in warm water
After opening the dried kelp you bought, first shake off some of the particulate dirt on the surface of the kelp surface with less adhesion by hand. Then put the kelp into the basin, add about 40 to 50 degrees Celsius of warm water, the amount of water should be a little more, at least can completely submerge the kelp, soak for about 2 minutes, if it is convenient can also be soaked with taomi water, the effect is also good. Be careful not to use either cold water or boiling water. Cold water foaming time is long, boiling water temperature is too high, will lose some nutrients, more than worth the loss.
Step 2: Add an appropriate amount of white vinegar
Add the white vinegar
After soaking the kelp in warm water for about 2 minutes, add a small spoonful of white vinegar to the water, and then gently rub it with your hands, taking care not to use too much force, otherwise the kelp will break. After rubbing for 2 to 3 minutes, you will feel that the viscosity of the surface of the kelp is getting lower and lower, and when you smell it, you will feel that the smell of the sea is not as strong as before, and the kelp will become thicker and softer, which is due to the effect of white vinegar.
Step 3: Add an appropriate amount of starch or baking soda
After feeling that the surface of the kelp is not sticky, and the water absorption is sufficient, it looks thicker, and the next task is to thoroughly clean the various dirt on the surface of the kelp. Because the kelp is not subject to any dust removal process in the whole process from the salvage to the sale of the finished product, and it is directly laid on the seaside stone or dried on the beach, so there is a lot of sediment, dust and other dirt on the kelp. After the previous soaking and cleaning, most of the dirt has been washed away, and the rest are some more stubborn and small things with strong adhesion.
Add starch or baking soda and rub and rinse
At this time, after we add the right amount of starch or baking soda to the water, and then gently rub it with our hands a few times, we can quickly clean the dirt left on the surface of the kelp. Remember to rinse several times with water at the end, thoroughly rinsing the mixture of starch or baking soda and dirt. Because starch has a certain adsorption effect, baking soda is weakly alkaline and has no irritating odor after dissolving in water, which has a good effect on cleaning dirt, while not affecting the taste of kelp.
Well, as can be seen from the above cleaning methods, cleaning kelp is skillful. If you only wash with water, it is time-consuming and laborious, and adding white vinegar, starch or baking soda and then cleaning, not only saves time, but also the effect will be better.
In addition, when we usually buy kelp, we must know how to choose kelp in order to buy high-quality kelp. If the quality of the kelp itself is not good, the cleaning and cooking in the back is also a waste of time. Therefore, if you want to eat delicious kelp, you must also master the method of selecting kelp.
1. Take a look
The overall appearance of high-quality kelp has the following characteristics: the overall thickness, width and flatness, no small holes, the surface with a thick layer of white frost, the color is gray-green and relatively dark. If there are appearance characteristics that do not match the above, it indicates that the quality of kelp is poor.
2. Two touches
High quality dried kelp, feel dry and non-sticky when you touch its surface with your hands. If it feels wet and sticky to the touch, this kelp is not recommended to buy.
3. Three smells
Since it is kelp, there is no doubt that it should have the same normal seafood smell as ordinary seafood. If there is no fishy smell or other taste, it is abnormal kelp, so it is recommended to buy with caution.
Kelp is a vegetable with high nutritional value, especially the content of iodine is very high, for people who lack iodine, often eat kelp is very beneficial, but the fly in the ointment is that it is difficult to clean. Therefore, mastering the correct cleaning method of kelp saves time and effort for the cooking of kelp. I hope that today's sharing of kelp knowledge can bring you some help!
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