Get in on the grain that everyone is talking about. Here are 6 tips for cooking with quinoa

Over recent years quinoa has become to be known as one of those perfect grains. But first things first. While quinoa is commonly referred to as a grain, probably because it looks and acts so much like one, it's actually a seed. It comes from a plant with the funny of goosefoot and it's spectacular on its own, thrown into a salad, or even made into a delicious risotto.

No doubt there's a lot that can be done with quinoa. But there's also a lot that can go wrong while cooking it, too. It can turn out crunchy, which is unappealing, soggy like many messed-up pots of rice, or just have an off taste. And these mistakes keep many people from trying to use it more often which is a shame, because quinoa can not only be super tasty, it's also super delicious. Follow these tips so you can make the perfect pot every time.

1. Rinse it
Quinoa comes with a thin natural coating called saponin on it and if you cook it straight out of the package, it will be perfectly safe to eat but also quite bitter. To get rid of this coating, quinoa needs to be rinsed before it's cooked. And it needs to be rinsed very well. To do it, and not lose all those tiny seeds to the drain, use a fine mesh sieve to place your quinoa in. Then place it under cold running water and use your fingers or a spoon to mix the quinoa well and make sure it all gets a thorough rinse. This might take several minutes, but your quinoa will be better for it.

2. Know the ratio
Just like rice, quinoa has a proper ratio of quinoa to water that needs to be followed; and that ratio is also very similar to rice. Place the quinoa into a medium-sized saucepan and add twice as much salted water as there is quinoa into the pan. Using one part quinoa to two parts water will ensure that your quinoa is not crunchy nor soggy.

3. Cook it uncovered
While the ratio of quinoa to water may be the same as rice, the cooking method is slightly different. With quinoa, it's important not to cook it with a lid, as that will cause condensation to fall back into the pot as it cooks and turn it to mush. And the reason rice needs a lid when cooking is because it needs to steam; quinoa does not. Instead, leave the lid off and bring the quinoa to a boil over medium-high heat. Then lower the heat and gently simmer it for 15 minutes, just until it's tender and cooked through and not a minute more. Over-cooking quinoa is one of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking quinoa and it's the biggest reason quinoa turns to mush.

4. Drain it
Quinoa takes a lot of that water it cooked in and holds on to it tight, even when it's done cooking. This is one reason why a simple side dish of quinoa can quickly turn an entire dish watery. To avoid this, once the quinoa is done cooking tip it into a fine-mesh sieve over the sink. You can use the same one you used to rinse the quinoa but rinse it first so that bitter coating doesn't get back into your cooked quinoa. Doing this will also help to separate and fluff your quinoa which, again just like rice, is an important step.

5. Place your quinoa in a bowl
This may not seem all that important, but it is. If you take the quinoa that's in the fine mesh sieve and place it back into the hot pot it cooked in, it will continue cooking. And once again, you'll end up with overcooked quinoa. Instead, place it into a bowl and then season and dress as you like.

6. Dress while still warm
Once the quinoa is in the bowl, you can then use whatever you'd like to dress it. But doing this while it's still warm will help the quinoa actually absorb the dressing instead of it all slipping right off. So whatever you're using - olive oil, lemon juice, even tomato sauce - dress it while the quinoa is still warm.