How to cook millet porridge in a slow cooker with milk?
It's no secret that millet groats are very healthy and tasty. It contains many vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. According to studies, regular consumption of millet porridge helps to eliminate antibiotics and toxins from the body. Milk porridge cooked in a slow cooker can be safely consumed by people who follow a proper diet, as well as children over one year old. This dish is prepared not only for breakfast, but also for dinner.
Choice of cereals
In order for the porridge in the slow cooker to turn out rich and appetizing, it is important to choose the right cereal. The main recommendations when choosing millet for cooking porridge will be as follows.
- Groats must be fresh. When choosing a product, pay attention first of all to the date of production. Before the expiration date must remain at least six months. Poor-quality and expired cereals will be bitter and tasteless.
- Fresh millet has a bright yellow color, and the grains are carefully polished. Polished millet has no foreign inclusions and dark grains.
- Try to choose coarse-grained millet. It always makes a more crumbly dish.
- It is recommended to buy millet in polyethylene packages. Such material reliably protects the grain from moisture. After all, excessive moisture spoils the taste of the product.
In modern grocery stores, you can often find three types of cereals.
- Whole grain millet. It retains the maximum benefit, as it undergoes the most minimal processing. You can distinguish it from other types of cereals by its dark color. Cooking milk porridge from whole grains takes a long time. It tastes bitter, so it is rarely consumed and in small volumes.
- Sanded. It can be attributed to the most popular type of cereal. Due to long-term processing, the grains have a rich yellow color and a characteristic sheen. The content of vitamins in such millet porridge is slightly less than in the dish described above, but at the same time it is more favorable for the gastrointestinal tract. Milk porridges from a polished variety are cooked in a slow cooker very quickly, have a delicate taste and a pleasant texture.
- Crushed. This type of cereal is recognized as the easiest to prepare. It will take a minimum of time to cook milk porridge from such grains. There will be few useful properties in such a dairy dish, but it will be absorbed in a short period of time.
Grain preparation
So that millet porridge in a slow cooker with milk turns out to be really tasty and the household eats it with pleasure, you need to properly prepare the grain before the cooking process.
- Millet, like any other cereal, must be carefully sorted out to remove dark-colored grains.
- Be sure to rinse at least 5-6 times under running cool water. To do this, you can use a saucepan or other deep dishes. In this case, rinse the grain until the water runs clear. It is most convenient to wash the grains in a sieve, setting it under the pressure of cold water.
- After the millet is washed, it is recommended to douse it with boiling water.
For convenience, you can also use a sieve. This procedure is necessary so that the porridge does not have a bitter taste.
Proportions and cooking rules
Observing all proportions when cooking millet in milk, you will get excellent milk porridge. It is also recommended not to violate the basic rules of cooking.
- Millet is perfectly boiled, so it is optimal to combine cereals and milk in a ratio of 1: 2. The volume of liquid affects the saturation and texture of the porridge. Try to find a "golden mean" by adding liquid ingredients so that the porridge turns out to be moderately boiled, but not boiled soft.
- To get thick millet, you can use 1 cup of cereal for 4 cups of whole milk. And for liquid - 1 cup of grains for 6 cups of milk.
- Porridge in a slow cooker will turn out especially tasty if it is cooked on a mixture of water and milk. To do this, the cereal must be slightly boiled in water, then pour out the excess liquid from the multicooker bowl and add fresh milk.
- For cooking milk porridge in a slow cooker, various modes are used. It depends on the model of equipment and the desired consistency of the finished product. To make the dish thick and viscous, you need to set the "Milk porridge" or "Soup" mode. For more liquid and crumbly porridge - the "Pilaf", "Buckwheat" or "Multi-cook" mode.
Now let's take a closer look at the features of cooking millet porridge using the named kitchen appliances. Most often, for these purposes, use the special mode "Milk porridge". Almost all modern multicookers have such a program. The principle of its operation is that the dishes are cooked at a lower temperature and due to this milk rarely escapes. But even when using this mode, incidents sometimes happen when milk rises to the edge of the bowl. This can be prevented by applying some tricks:
- dilute milk with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 1;
- for cooking, buy low-fat milk (1.5% -2.5%), it does not rise when the temperature rises and does not foam, homemade milk is fatty, it runs away when heated;
- put all the ingredients in a bowl and draw a line over them with a piece of oil, so the liquid will only reach the place greased with butter and drain back;
- place a container for steaming on top of the bowl, if the liquid rises during cooking, the container will hold it and the resulting foam.
After a beep indicating the end of the program, do not rush to turn off the multicooker and remove the bowl from it.
It is advisable to let the porridge brew for approximately 25-30 minutes on the "Heating" function, which turns on automatically after the end of the main program. Then the dish will become even tastier and richer.
If porridge with milk is intended for a morning meal, then it would be best to use a program with a delayed start. This is an indispensable feature that allows you to prepare a hearty breakfast or a nutritious afternoon snack just in time for the time when you plan to have a snack. Undoubtedly, both young and large mothers and very busy people will appreciate this function of kitchen appliances. After all, to prepare a dish, you only need to load the ingredients into the bowl, and you can again go about your business.
Some people worry that dairy products on the Delay Start program may turn sour before the cooking process begins. But there are a few secrets here too.
- A multicooker is very similar in structure to a thermos. It can keep a certain temperature for a long time, for this it is necessary to put cold ingredients into the bowl.
- After dousing with boiling water, rinse the grits with ice water. Milk must be taken from the refrigerator. If you plan to set the timer in the evening, then add a few ice cubes to the bowl (it is advisable to freeze filtered or boiled water for this purpose).
- After placing all the products in the multicooker, immediately close the lid tightly. Thus, the milk does not have time to sour, and the dish will turn out perfect.
When cooking on a delayed start, never add fruit to dairy products. Everything is added only to the finished dish before serving, otherwise there is a risk that the milk will instantly curdle.
Recipes
There are a large number of recipes with a detailed description of the preparation of millet porridge with milk in a slow cooker. Consider step by step the classic recipe for such porridge.
For this you will need the following ingredients:
- fresh milk (fat content not more than 2.5%) - 0.9 l;
- sugar - 40-50 g;
- polished millet - 160 g (or 1 multicooker glass);
- butter - 30 g;
- water - 200 ml;
- salt - 1 tsp
Cooking steps:
- Sort and rinse the cereal under cold water, then leave it for a quarter of an hour in a deep cup or plate, so it will be thoroughly washed and noticeably increased in volume;
- prepare a kitchen appliance and pour cereal into it;
- add the prepared mixture of milk and water, then bulk products and butter;
- turn on the “Milk porridge” program (if your multicooker model does not imply the presence of such a function, then select the appropriate one from the available modes in the menu mentioned above), the average cooking time is 60 minutes;
- when the porridge is ready, add a small piece of butter to it;
- Chopped fruits, jam or frozen berries can be served with the dish.
For those who want to make their diet more varied, it is recommended to cook rice-millet porridge in milk with the addition of apples. Products are perfectly combined with each other and the result is a fragrant dish. Rice and millet combined with milk and apples is always unusual and healthy. We will study in more detail the recipe for 4 persons.
Required Ingredients:
- round-grain rice - 80 g;
- polished millet - 80 g;
- sweet and sour apples (Antonovka or Idared varieties are best suited) - 2 pcs.;
- whole milk - 0.6 l;
- purified water - 200 ml;
- butter - 15 g;
- sugar - 20 g;
- salt - to taste.
Cooking method:
- rinse the cereal until the water is clear, this is necessary in order for the porridge to turn out crumbly;
- pour rice and millet alternately into the multicooker bowl;
- peel apples and remove the core from them, then cut them into small cubes and add to the cereal;
- pour liquid ingredients and add bulk products;
- install the program "Milk porridge";
- before serving food on the table, do not forget to put a piece of ghee or regular butter.
Those who prefer liquid milk porridge can also cook it using their favorite kitchen appliances. In this cooking option, it will be enough just to slightly increase the volume of liquid components.
Required Ingredients:
- millet - 1 multicooker glass;
- fresh milk - 1 l;
- water - 500 ml;
- sugar - 30 g;
- salt - 1 pinch;
- butter - 30-35 g.
Cooking steps:
- thoroughly wash the cereal in a deep bowl and remove all dark-colored grains from it;
- after washing, pour it into the multicooker bowl;
- pour all the liquid components in turn, then add salt and sugar;
- mix the ingredients well with a special multicooker spoon, it is made of silicone and does not scratch the surface of the equipment;
- install the desired program;
- after the timer signal, wait a while for the food to infuse, then mix it thoroughly.
In the hot summer, please your children with milk millet porridge with seasonal fruits and berries. Such an appetizing meal will become not just an ordinary breakfast for a child, but will give him a big boost of energy and good mood for the whole day.
To get a tender porridge, use the following products:
- millet - 150 g;
- fresh milk (fat content 2.5% - 3.5%) - 2 multi-glasses;
- purified or boiled water - 2 multi-glasses;
- salt - 0.5 tsp;
- granulated sugar - 1 tbsp. l. (for children, it is better to replace sugar with linden or acacia honey, in which case the food will be healthier, but it must be added to an already prepared dish so that honey does not lose its properties at high temperatures);
- butter - 10 g;
- peach - 1 pc.;
- apricot - 1 pc.
Cooking:
- wash the cereal, remove excess inclusions and possible debris;
- cut peach and apricot into small slices;
- lightly grease the inside of the bowl with oil;
- put prepared fruits on the bottom;
- pour millet, bulk ingredients, then add milk and clean water;
- select the desired function and press "Start";
- after a sound notification about the end of cooking, do not rush to disconnect the multicooker from the mains, leave the porridge on the “Heating” function for another 25-30 minutes;
- after the specified time, the food will be completely ready for use, it can be safely served on the table and treated to children.
For information on how to cook millet porridge in a slow cooker with milk, see the following video.