As if confirming the biblical dictum that there are no prophets in their own country, sunflower and pumpkin "found their land" far from their homeland - the land of the Aztecs and the Incas, received real recognition, fertile soil and worthy use on our land.
Of course, the ancient Indians knew about the benefits of these crops, and they worshiped sunflowers as a deity, but for Europeans who colonized the American continent, the value of pumpkin and sunflower seeds as crops of a wide range of uses became a discovery that came with emigrants from Russia. The earth is round!
The seeds of any plant have a large supply of vitality to germinate and give a new crop. The seeds of sunflowers and pumpkins are not an exception, therefore their benefits are not in doubt for more than 5-6 thousand years. But in more detail their biochemical composition was studied in the age of advanced technologies.
Immediately ensued a discussion between skeptics and their opponents about the benefits and dangers of seeds. Proponents of a healthy lifestyle and diets fans also did not stand aside: everyone wants to speak about the benefits and dangers of seeds as a food product, at the same time attributing to the sunflower seeds magical healing properties.
From all that has been said about these grains, only the results of scientific and laboratory research can and should be trusted. Logically, the purpose of each product is to supply the body with useful and nutrients. Some products contain many vitamins, some contain minerals, another contain unsaturated fatty acids, and so on.
For example, lemon contains vitamin C, but to ensure its daily need, you need to eat 2 lemons to provide the body with vitamin F, you need to consume 40 grams of roasted seeds every day. But the list of everything a person needs during the day - vitamins, valuable acids, minerals necessary for regular use is so long that it is impossible to eat everything at once. Yes, seeds are useful. Yes, there are some limitations in their use. It is possible that they improve well-being in some chronic diseases, but they should not be substituted for them with all other food products. It is best to consult with your doctor on these issues, rather than succumbing to fashion trends and influences from sources who are often product sellers, and their logic of admiration has a quite understandable goal: to expand the market. Let those who disagree resent, but food, besides benefits, should be enjoyable, and the missing elements for the normal functioning of the body should, nevertheless, be sought in special mineral and vitamin complexes. Therefore, leaving aside the question of the benefits and harm of seeds, we consider a simpler question - home-made technology.
How to fry sunflower seeds: cleaning, sorting and preparing raw materials
Preparing seeds for roasting is a more laborious process than frying.
The harvest should be carefully sorted and remove all impurities. Further, if the seeds are harvested from different varieties of sunflowers, it is advisable to sort them by size.
In industrial conditions, of course, this stage is fully mechanized.
Seeds collected at their summer cottage will have to sort manually. For what? To ensure even roasting of seeds.
The next stage is washing. At home, this can be done by substituting a sieve with seeds under a stream of water. Sunflower seeds are easy to clean: just hold them under pressure to remove dust. If you need to wash pumpkin seeds, it is better to pre-wet them. After that, they need to fray their hands to separate the remaining fibers. It is better to repeat this operation several times in order to completely remove the remnants of the pulp from their skin.
Next you need to place a sieve over the pan and wait for the glass to water. It is better to wash pumpkin seeds immediately after removing them from the pulp, not waiting until it dries. If you are not going to fry them right away, then you need to dry it and put it in a dry place. Can be stored in a glass jar in the kitchen or in a plastic bag in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
The ideal way to dry the seeds is a convection stove. Fast and reliable. Spread them on a sheet in a thin layer and just hold in a hot oven. If conditions allow, then dry the seeds in the sun, lining them on the net. For example, an anti-mosquito net, nailed on a wooden frame is a suitable thing for this purpose. A large number of dry in small pieces. It is important to achieve complete drying, so that excess moisture during storage does not cause mold and musty odor. Depending on the volume of the product and individual predilection for it, it is better to keep the stocks dried, but not fried. That is, the seeds need to sort, wash, dry and store in this form, and fry them preferably as needed, especially since it does not take much time.
How fry pumpkin seeds? This question is asked by many lovers. If sunflower seeds can be roasted in a frying pan, it is better to roast pumpkin seeds in the oven, spread them out on a sheet in a thin layer.
How to fry sunflower seeds: methods of heat treatment
Probably, still in the villages there are Russian stoves that are ideal not only for cooking many dishes, but also are brilliantly simple answer to the question of how to fry seeds. This Russian miracle-oven, by its construction, is nothing more than a modern steam-oven, only without a timer and an integrated thermometer. In the conditions of modern city apartments it is necessary to be content with available opportunities.
How to roast seeds in the oven
Cooking food in the oven, including seeds, is still considered the best way to cook any kind of food. The closed oven chamber ensures uniform heating of food at a constant or controlled temperature. Of great importance is also the fact that, being in a closed space, products retain their valuable nutritional properties to the maximum extent, which to a greater degree evaporate during heat treatment on the surface of the plate.
Roasting seeds in the oven takes no more than five minutes. In this case, the oven must first be heated to 220ºC. Prepared seeds lay on the sheet. After five minutes, turn off the stove, but the seeds are not immediately reachable, but hold until the temperature in the oven decreases by half. After that, the seeds need to be poured on a wooden surface and, until they are completely cooled, keep them covered with a linen napkin. The readiness of the seeds is checked organoleptically. Larger pumpkin seeds, respectively, need to fry, increasing the frying time.
Often, lovers of pumpkin seeds are looking for varieties of pumpkins with a large number of seeds. Breeders took care of them. These varieties include Candy, Volga Gray, Russian, Pearl, Arbat. However, before you go shopping for seeds, think about the fact that pumpkin seeds should be consumed in very moderate quantities, and the pumpkin itself is useful not only with seeds, but also with pulp.
How to fry sunflower seeds in a pan
For this method of frying, you must select the appropriate dishes. First of all, you need a heavy cast-iron frying pan, preferably a large diameter: you have to fry the seeds, sprinkling them with a thin layer, for even frying. Therefore, a large surface area will significantly speed up the process, especially if you need to make a stock of roasted seeds before the end of your favorite series. Metal spatula, for mixing, set aside: use a wooden one. The pan can be pre-oiled, but you can not do this. It is better to wet the seeds so that the husks are steamed and then better separated from the kernels after drying. As soon as the moisture evaporates, begin to follow closely, and, mainly, listen carefully: a characteristic crackle is a signal that it is time to remove the pan from the fire. Do not stop stirring even after the pan has been removed. The second point to which attention should be paid is the characteristic aroma of roasted seeds. Just make sure that it is not burnt. That's all. By the time of frying the seeds in the pan takes from 10 to 15 minutes, or a little more: it all depends on the temperature of the stove and the degree of heating of the pan.
How to fry the seeds in the microwave
If the above tips on frying pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds, seem too troublesome, then try to do it in the microwave. This way will surely please everyone. It is very easy: put washed and wet grains on a plate. Turn on the microwave for a minute, to maximum power. Remove the plate, mix and place for another minute. After the third time - try. If the seeds are not sufficiently fried, then the next approach should last no more than 30 seconds, so as not to be mistaken.
How to fry sunflower seeds in a pan: about flavorings
Roasted pumpkin seeds resemble the taste of peanuts. This suggests an idea: why not treat them with nut oil before frying, in order to emphasize this taste even more? Such seeds will be very useful if you add them to any original salad, sprinkle the bread baked with bran or oatmeal.
There are varieties of pumpkin with “bare” seeds, which before frying can be kept in salted, or, on the contrary, sweet solution, which can significantly expand the range not only for snacking, but also create interesting dishes.
Summarize what was said: frying seeds in a frying pan is incredibly easy!
