Pigeons and mice can turn premium grain into forage
I happened to make dumplings here for friends - citizens of one European country. We went to the store for flour, and there were ten varieties of it, no less. We chose the one made from durum wheat. I've never had such delicious dough in my life! Elastic, does not tear, the edges stick together at times. BUT Italian pasta? Even if you have digested the extra minutes, it does not turn into porridge. Why are domestic flour products not like that, I asked Igor KAPUSTIN, General Director of the Sheksna Bakery Plant.
- Igor Olegovich, do the Italians have better wheat?
In fact, almost all of their pasta production is based on imported raw materials, including Russian. They take only durum wheat. In Russia, there is group A pasta, and there are groups B and C - simpler, cheaper, worse quality. The trouble is that some manufacturers allow themselves to mix flour from soft varieties with durum wheat flour, and this fact is not reflected on the label. You are fully confident that you have durum wheat pasta, which, as you know, does not make you fat, but in fact they are produced according to the technical conditions of the enterprise, and not according to GOST.
- The difference in price between solid and soft wheat big?
In two, sometimes three times - grain prices are subject to seasonal fluctuations. There is also an objective reason: durum wheat is produced in a limited geographical area. For us it is the south of Western Siberia, Altai, the Southern Urals. There must be a special soil, a certain climate. AT durum varieties high content gluten - vegetable protein, such grain and flour from it have more valuable nutritional properties.
- Maybe we need to grow more of this kind of wheat?
Unfortunately, the yield of durum wheat is lower than that of soft wheat. In addition, the dough from it requires a long exposure. In conditions of mass production, when you need to bake a lot and quickly, this is a problem. And our people are very fond of eating bread, muffins, cookies, various cakes and gingerbread. So bakeries use flour from soft grades of wheat of 3-4 classes.
- What kind of classes are these?
All grain, upon entering the elevator, undergoes a quality assessment procedure. For each batch, it is determined to which class it can be attributed. The content of gluten, protein, the number of damaged grains, contamination are taken into account. According to GOST, we have five classes of grain. The fifth is fodder, grain of the lowest quality, sent to feed livestock. The remaining four are suitable for making flour. AT Food Industry, basically, use wheat of 3-4 classes. Grain of 1-2 classes is mixed with it in order to improve, bring, for example, the "four" to the "three". However, grain quality may decline due to improper storage and transportation. Someone immediately took the wheat to the elevator, the other dumped it on the current. The pigeons sat down, the mice eat it, they immediately crap - the quality is declining. And if barley was dumped nearby, a grain mixture was obtained, which is suitable only for livestock feed. Although initially it was a decent grain of the 3rd class.
- It turns out that there is a lot of grain, but you won’t find quality?
Now large companies are slowly moving to a closed cycle. Bought a collective farm, sowed desired grade, received grain of a certain quality, took it to their elevator, ground it at their own mill, made pasta, bread or whatever they produce from flour. This is a general trend. But there are still small mills that do not have their own laboratory. It is not clear what kind of quality certificate the supplier provided them with. Here is the flour, do not understand what it turns out. Prices are low, so there are buyers. This is especially true for small bakeries.
- Doesn't the state control grain production?
Previously, these issues were under the jurisdiction of the State Grain Inspectorate, last years of its existence, it was directly subordinate to the Government of the Russian Federation, but in 2004 it was abolished. Now there is no centralized monitoring and control of the market. This is done by Rospotrebnadzor, Rosselkhoznadzor, as well as hundreds of independent private organizations authorized to issue certificates of conformity.
- Who was disturbed by the grain inspection?
It was officially announced that its functions were redundant and duplicated by other bodies. It seems like they were fighting bureaucracy. But without the grain inspection, which had its offices in all regions, it became impossible to track the quality all the way: from the seed fund to the flour products on our table. Bread made from flour made from grain of the 5th category seeps into stores - this is a sad fact. Some are lobbying for the adoption of GOST, which allows the use of feed grains in the food industry.
This year we are enjoying an unprecedented harvest - 115 million tons of wheat have been harvested. In the USSR, for four tons per hectare, the chairman of the collective farm was given the Hero of Socialist Labor, and now even eight tons per hectare is not considered something outstanding. At the same time, they constantly talk about the crisis of agriculture. How so?
In addition to favorable weather conditions, imported seeds, fertilizers, and technologies helped. The domestic seed fund has been in poor condition for many years. Now from the high stands they are talking about the need to restore their own selection.
- Where to buy bread and pasta so that it is tasty and not dangerous to health?
I try to choose products from large manufacturers that adhere to GOST. But there are marketing tricks. Let's say bran bread - great choice. Only if one percent of bran is not mixed into premium flour - there is no benefit from such a product. It's better to give up wheat bread from premium flour and switch to rye, rye-wheat: it is made on sourdough, because yeast does not react well to rye flour. A good option: pita bread and tortillas, unless, of course, you are sure that they are made in normal conditions from the point of view of hygiene.
An agonizing choice
According to GOST, six varieties of flour are produced in Russia:
- top grade and " Extra»: the ground core of the grain. Suitable for any kind of dough, the products are lush and tasty. But it is almost a solid "fast" carbohydrate. Nutritionists warn - the abuse of baking from premium flour will inevitably affect the width of your waist;
- first grade: differs from the higher in coarser grinding. Suitable for pies, fritters, pancakes, noodles, dumplings;
- second grade: table bread, gingerbread, cookies are baked from it;
- wallpaper: coarse grinding with bran. Saves the most useful material, but has not very high baking properties. Good for table bread.
- grit: coarse flour. Goes to muffins, Easter cakes and other products made from yeast pastry.
What has changed since the Soviet Union in the grain industry?
1. We do not buy grain abroad
For the first time, the USSR was faced with the need to purchase grain from other countries in 1963. We had to buy not only because there was not enough wheat of our own. The livestock industry demanded more feed than the country produced. Because there were several times more cows and pigs than now.
2. Agriculture in decline
In the USSR, agriculture was mostly subsidized. Kolkhozes and state farms more or less coped with the plans, but harvesting constantly turned into a "battle". The rapid transition to the market in the 90s finished off the domestic village. Now the state supports farmers with loans and subsidies. The current inspiring results of the harvest season are seen by some analysts as a favorable sign of the revival of the bread industry.
3. There is no end-to-end quality control of grain and products from it
The most alarming factor, despite the fact that bread is a guarantee of the country's food security. The state cannot control private business, release plans to it and check their implementation. And the farmer is interested in profit, he will grow grain only if it is profitable for him to do so.
4. Bread prices are dictated by the market
In the USSR, bread prices remained at the same level for decades: white loaf- 13-20 kopecks, a "brick" of black - 18. Now they are dictated by the market, the state only subsidizes large bakeries so that they produce the so-called "social bread" - as a rule, of low quality. By following the recipe and using natural ingredients a loaf should cost at least 50 rubles. Any reduction in price means the introduction of chemical additives.
5. Quality and variety of bread
AT Soviet time the cycle of making a long loaf from kneading dough to baking took almost a day. New technologies that allow the use of food "chemistry" reduce it to several hours. Unfortunately, strict GOST standards were not always observed in the USSR either, and the quality of bread in different regions was very heterogeneous. Now the production process has accelerated and fallen in price. On the one hand, this is a blessing - enterprises can expand their assortment and increase profits. On the other hand, there is scope for unscrupulous bakers who are ready to fill up stores with "chemical" rolls and cakes. However, there is always the option to buy a bread machine and experiment in your kitchen.
How to grind grain at home and get healthy and real whole grain flour?
The possibilities of Maikuk are so unlimited that having this kitchen machine at home is like having 10 different food processing plants at home.
Maykuk is also a household flour mill.
So, Maikuk kitchen appliances - a whole mill for 30 cm of the kitchen table, a home mini mill for grain and flour. Freshly ground whole grain flour especially valuable because it is fresh and does not have time to oxidize, such flour is also called "live" and it breathes. In Maykuk, flour preparation takes only 1-3 minutes. And how long will it take to go to the store and buy flour?
This kitchen robot is a home mini mill that can easily grind grain into flour in a few minutes, and in just a few seconds grind sugar into powdered sugar. What can I say, even the strongest nuts are tough for him. Remember how much work it takes to grind nuts, for example, to decorate a cake, for salad, for breading.
That housewives just don’t use coffee grinders and blenders for this, who pound in a mortar. But the coffee grinder can break. But this problem is not for Maikuk. Within just a few minutes, you will have walnuts, almonds, pine nuts ground almost into flour ...
Now about cereals and flour. By controlling the time and speed of grinding, it is possible to obtain both cereals and flour from whole grains.
For grinding flour, usually high rotation speeds are used - speeds of 8-10.
Any grain - wheat, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat - can be ground into flour in the Maikuk kitchen robot, while maintaining purity.
A specially designed jug and lid will not allow the grits to “run away” when the machine is running at high speeds. For cleanliness of work with fine grinding, the use of a steam basket is also provided.
Maikuk will need only 2-3 minutes to get flour from 0.5 kg of grain, 1-2 minutes to grind coffee.
And yet, with the help of this miracle robot, you can get great amount homemade seasonings, combining all sorts of dried vegetables.
Here is an example of a condiment that you can easily prepare: dried carrot, turmeric and 1 tsp. nautical edible salt. Place everything in a Maikuk jug and grind for 1 minute. This seasoning is perfect for soups, sauces, salads.
And you can come up with a huge number of such options for seasonings. And some of the spices will be only your know-how, which will make your dishes uniquely delicious.
Well, washing a food processor - a home flour mill, after such dusty tests will not be difficult at all.
Watch the coffee grinding video. Maikuk - home mini mill and coffee grinder. Grinding coffee in Maykuk.
Do you want to buy such a food processor?
Terms. It works from the drive. Inside the flour grinder are two stone millstones that grind grain into flour. Do not grind seeds, nuts and other grains containing a lot of oil in a flour grinder.
Grind grain in a home mill. There are also electric mills. In electric grain grinds faster, but if you need not a large number of flour - up to 1-2 kg, then a hand mill is enough.
Grind the grain in a meat grinder with a fine grate. This method is good for germinated grains or for bran, because. as a result of grinding in a meat grinder, flour and grain shell are mixed in homogeneous mass.
Use a wooden mallet and a heavy plastic bag. Pour the grains into the bag, tie it tightly, make sure that there is no excess air in the bag. Tap the bag hard with a hammer for a few minutes. You can use this method if you need to grind grain on camping trips, where there are no food processors and coffee grinders at all.
Get a coffee grinder. If a coffee grinder grinds grain with knives, then coffee, it’s better not to grind anything in it, otherwise it will quickly fail. And in a coffee grinder with millstones, you can process different cereals: buckwheat, wheat, rice and others.
Sources:
- Processing grain into flour
Ground nuts, rich in nutrients, are used by housewives for making salads, cakes and other pastries. You can grind nuts in various ways using household appliances or kitchen utensils.
You will need
- - coffee grinder;
- - blender;
- - food processor;
- - meat grinder;
- - manual grinder;
- - cutting board;
- - kitchen hammer;
- - rolling pin;
- - knife.
Instruction
You can grind nuts in a coffee grinder using various ways grinding from coarse to fine. Before you put nuts in any household appliances, be sure to peel them from the shell. After 1 grinding, stir the nuts with a spoon until they become buttery. Then gently wipe the grinder bowls and rinse the lid with water.
An alternative to a coffee grinder can be a blender equipped with a special nozzle and able to grind nuts well. The blender allows you to make almond milk from almonds, which you can drink. Peel the almonds and keep them in water for about 5-8 hours before grinding, then pour them into a blender mold, add water from the following calculation: 3 parts of water fall on 1 part of nuts. Grind the nuts to the desired consistency, and then strain the resulting liquid to remove any residue and crumbs. Almond milk good for the heart, helps manage weight, makes skin look radiant, and strengthens bones, hair, and teeth.
If you want to get a homogeneous nut mass, then use a meat grinder for this purpose. An electric meat grinder will help to cope with the task quickly and easily.
The food processor is also equipped with the function of grinding different degrees and will help you to grind nuts. Thus, a blender, food processor, meat grinder and coffee grinder help to grind nuts well and do not require time and effort, but if you do not have this household appliance, then you can use other methods.
HOW TO GRIND FLOUR FROM GRAINS AND GRAINS IN HOME CONDITIONS!!! At home, you can grind any flour from grains and cereals: wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, peas, lentils, chickpeas and others. How to do it at home - we bring to your attention the experience of people who have tried to do this, and who succeed. Cleaning and drying grain To make flour, it is better to take unprocessed and unpolished grain. Take a good look at the grains, remove the dark and rotten ones. Rinse, without soaking, the grain in several waters: first twice in warm, and then in running cold water. On paper or cloth, dry the grains or cereals thoroughly. Do not use newspaper - the harmful chemical constituents of the paint can be absorbed into the grains. The room should be well ventilated, especially if you are making flour in large quantities. Grinding and drying flour For grinding, a powerful coffee grinder, hand mill or mortar is suitable. It all depends on the result you want: electric coffee grinder will make soft, almost first-class store-bought flour, manual flour will be coarser, and grinding the grains in a mortar will not only give you truly handmade fine flour, but will also allow you to cultivate patience and character. Flour, including rye flour different varieties. The grade of flour indicates the thoroughness of the grinding - the finer it is, the higher the grade, which means that such flour is thinner in composition and bakes better. Despite the fact that the highest grade is most valued, it is believed that coarse flour retains all the useful substances, including fiber. In mills, one or another type of flour is made by increasing or decreasing the gap between the millstones. At home, in the absence of special equipment, it is difficult to achieve the production of one or another variety, so you will have to be content with any result obtained. Put the finished flour on a dense white paper(fabric is inappropriate here) with a layer of 2 cm and dry for a couple of days. Remember to mix the flour gently. Well-dried flour will not stick to your hands, and its color will become lighter. Storage and use of flour Place the flour in a paper or cloth bag and store in a dry and cool place. Sift before use as Rye flour home cooking over time, it can “take” in lumps. Now we know how flour is made, which is used in the preparation of diabetic bread, pancakes, pancakes. AT baby food flour from various grains is used to make porridge and is an alternative to store mixes. For lovers of bread machines homemade flour you will like it, because the bread from it turns out to be unusually tasty, lush and healthy!!!
Often, buckwheat is called the "queen of cereals." It is rich in iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iodine, vitamins E, PP, B6, rutin. This product includes a large amount of vegetable proteins (their content is several times higher than in other cereals) and complex carbohydrates. The latter are absorbed for a long time and give a person the necessary energy boost for several hours. The undoubted advantage of buckwheat is that it is grown without the use of herbicides (weeds do not interfere with the growth of this crop). In addition, she has never been genetically modified. Buckwheat grains can be consumed whole, or you can grind them into powder and use them to prepare healthy diet meals.
Before grinding buckwheat, it must be sorted out. Remove excess rubbish and black flakes from the cereal. Rinse the beans under cool running water. Put it on kitchen towel let it dry a little. Put a heavy-bottomed pan on the fire and wait until it warms up well. pour out buckwheat into the pan and heat it for 5-10 minutes (until it starts to crackle). This procedure is necessary to obtain a rich taste of buckwheat flour. Cool the grains by laying them on a flat dish.
Now you can proceed directly to the grinding process. This can be done in a home mill. They are electric and manual. If you regularly cook a large amount of buckwheat flour, it is better to use the first appliance. For processing 1-2 kg of buckwheat, a hand mill is quite suitable. You can also grind buckwheat grains in a coffee grinder. However, for this purpose it is better to use the device not with knives (it will quickly fail), but with millstones. A small amount of buckwheat can be crushed with a blender. If the listed devices are not at hand, use the old method of grinding. Pour a little cereal into a tall cup (mortar) and grind it thoroughly with a pestle. This is a rather laborious and long process, so it is not recommended to use it for large volumes of buckwheat.
received buckwheat flour it is necessary to pour into a sealed dry container and tightly close the lid. From it you can cook porridge, bake pancakes, pies and pancakes, or you can use it as a medicine to cleanse the body of toxins. Buckwheat flour regulates the work of the pancreas, promotes the normalization of metabolism, cleanses the intestines, and reduces the level of glucose in the blood. To prepare the drug, mix a tablespoon of the powder with a glass low-fat kefir and leave the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, drink kefir with buckwheat 30-40 minutes before breakfast. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
