There are three main ways that you can cook quinoa.
Like many other whole grains, you can either cook them through absorption, steaming, or boiling.
A combination of these methods can also be used to cook quinoa depending on what type of effect you want.
Some recipes require them to be soaked before being cooked because simply cooking them with a hot liquid may not produce the best result.
Boiling is one of simplest methods for cooking quinoa.
You simply place the grain in a large quantity of boiling water and leave it there until it is cooked.
Once it is finished, both the grain and water can be dumped into a basket and colander and left to drain until all the excess moisture is removed.
The boiling method is often the best when you don't know the exact quantity of water needed to absorb the quinoa.
Using the absorption method to cook quinoa is what most people are accustomed to when cooking grains.
However, it requires exact measures of ingredients so it can be quite difficult you are not used to cooking quinoa.
This technique will require the quinoa to be cooked in an exact quantity of water or other type of liquid that can be easily absorbed.
This absorption method can result in a lot of trial and error, but overall it can be quite a successful way of cooking quinoa.
As a general rule, you should use one part quinoa to two parts liquid.
Each recipe may affect the exact way the quinoa is absorbed, some of the differences may include the altitude, other ingredients and the amount of heat.
If you find that the quinoa is not cooked even after cooking it for the amount of time specified by the recipe, try cooking it longer until it reaches the optimum result.
The quality and age of the grain can also affect its absorbing ability and the amount of time it takes to finish.
It is important to note that red quinoa tends to take a bit longer to cook than white quinoa.
Steaming is the third and final method for preparing quinoa.
This type of preparation can create beautifully cooked dishes, but it is also the most time consuming and involves constant care and attention.
Through steaming, the grains slowly absorb moisture and cook evenly.
In some cases you may find that your quinoa does not cook properly though steaming, this is because steaming is not always adequate for some types of grains.
If you are experiencing trouble with this you could boil lightly first before transferring it to a steamer.
Another tip is to soak them in cold water to tenderize them before steaming.
Alternatively, you could steam your quinoa in a rice cooker.