How to deliciously cook boiled tongue so that it is soft. We cook beef tongue: juicy, tasty and according to all the rules! But how long to cook beef tongue and how to do it
Many people don’t know how to properly cook beef tongue, so I decided to show how I do it. The main question is the question of time, how long to cook the tongue. If the beef tongue weighs about 1 kg, then 2 hours of cooking will be enough for it to be ready, and if the weight of the tongue is more than 1 kg, then 3 hours of cooking will be needed for the tongue to be soft. In this case, the light should be as small as possible so that the broth is transparent; cloudy broth looks ugly and unpleasant. It is also important to keep in mind that overcooking the tongue is unacceptable, this will negatively affect its quality, the tongue will turn out to be too soft and will fall apart. Many housewives use the broth after boiling the tongue to prepare various soups; personally, I don’t use this broth anywhere. Boiled tongue is an excellent snack; you can use it to prepare delicious salads and make delicious sandwiches.
*I would like to note that photographing the tongue cooking process is not very photogenic, so please take this factor into account.
Ingredients
To prepare boiled beef tongue you will need:
beef tongue - 1.3 kg;
carrots - 1 pc.;
onion - 1 pc.;
bay leaf - 1 pc.;
water - 3-4 fingers above tongue level;
salt, black peppercorns - to taste.
Cooking steps
Boil beef tongue for 3 hours.
Cool the cleaned tongue and then you can cut it into thin slices and serve. Grated horseradish with sour cream is perfect as an excellent seasoning for boiled beef tongue.
Bon appetit!
Tender and very tasty beef tongue is classified as a first-class by-product. And not in vain. Beef tongue has an exquisite, delicate taste and aroma, allowing this truly delicious product to be used in a wide variety of combinations of ingredients and recipes. However, many not yet very experienced housewives are afraid to take on the preparation of beef tongue, considering this process to be too labor-intensive and troublesome, and fearing an unsuccessful result. And completely in vain! Preparing a delicious beef tongue dish is not at all difficult; you just need to understand a little of the intricacies and learn a couple of culinary tricks. And here, as always, Culinary Eden comes to your rescue. Today we invite you to learn and remember with us how to cook beef tongue.
Beef tongue is valuable not only for its high culinary qualities, but also for its undoubted health benefits. Judge for yourself. The calorie content of beef tongue is lower than that of pork tongue, and it contains more valuable, easily digestible protein. In addition, the low carbohydrate content of beef tongue (only 2.2%) makes it a very valuable product for those following low-carb diets aimed at losing weight. Beef tongue is also rich in vitamins, especially B vitamins; for example, in order to cover the daily requirement of an adult’s body for vitamin B12, you will need to eat 70 grams of boiled beef tongue. In addition to vitamins, beef tongue boasts a high content of such important microelements as iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, etc. All this makes beef tongue dishes indispensable in the menu of those who suffer from anemia, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and peptic ulcers. Beef tongue is very useful for pregnant and nursing mothers, and in addition, doctors assure that regular consumption of beef tongue dishes can help cope with insomnia and migraines.
But, of course, you and I are primarily interested in the culinary and taste qualities of this valuable product. And here the beef tongue did not disappoint. When properly cooked, beef tongue is surprisingly tender and soft, and its delicate taste and delicate aroma make it easy to combine beef tongue with many foods. That is why there is such a wide choice of recipes for dishes in the preparation of which beef tongue is involved. What is not prepared from this delicious product: excellent cold and aromatic hot appetizers, rich soups and delicious main hot courses. Beef tongue is not only boiled, but also fried, stewed, and grilled. Add here the excellent compatibility of the tongue with many herbs and spices, sauces and chutneys, and you can easily see for yourself that the variety of beef tongue dishes is truly limitless.
Today the Culinary Eden website has prepared for you a selection of the most important tips and little culinary tricks, coupled with proven recipes that will definitely help even the most inexperienced housewives, and will easily tell you how to cook beef tongue.
1. When choosing beef tongue at the market or in a store, pay attention to its color - a good fresh tongue will please you with a pink or slightly purple color, and the darker the purple hue, the more iron and zinc the product offered to you contains. Be sure to smell your tongue before purchasing. Fresh beef tongue has a pleasant, slightly sweet smell. Any foreign odors, the smell of ammonia, mold or rot will tell you that the product is spoiled. Inspect your tongue for damage and feel its density. A good tongue will be dense and elastic to the touch, and if you press on it with your finger, the dimple will immediately straighten out. Too soft, flabby beef tongue has most likely been subjected to repeated freezing; such a tongue has already lost all its valuable nutritional properties and taste. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for a veterinary certificate if you buy a tongue in an unfamiliar place - this will save you and your loved ones from many unpleasant consequences.
2. Before you start preparing the dish you have chosen, the beef tongue must be properly prepared. Place the tongue in a deep bowl or saucepan, cover with lukewarm water and leave for half an hour. This simple technique will allow you to easily clean your tongue of impurities, and in addition, will give it additional juiciness. If you soak beef tongue in milk, it will become even more tender, and the taste of such a tongue will become especially expressive. After soaking, rinse the beef tongue under running water and scrub thoroughly with a wire brush or knife, scraping off any remaining mucus, blood, or dirt from the tongue. Rinse your tongue thoroughly in running water again and you can start cooking.
3. To prepare most appetizers and salads, you will need to properly boil the beef tongue, maintaining its juiciness and softness. It's not at all difficult to do this. Place the tongue in a deep saucepan and fill with cold water so that it covers the tongue by five to six centimeters. Remove the tongue from the pan, bring the water to a boil and return the tongue to the pan of boiling water. Wait for the water to boil again and cook the tongue over high heat for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam that has formed, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan with a lid and cook the tongue until tender. Typically, cooking time ranges from two to four hours. You can check the readiness of the tongue using a fork or a thin knife: just pierce the tongue in the thickest place and look at the color of the meat juice that comes out. If the juice is clear, the tongue is ready, but if the released juice is cloudy, cook the tongue for another half hour and repeat the test again. Salt the tongue 10 - 15 minutes before the end of cooking - this will allow you to fully preserve its softness and tenderness. To add a special aroma while cooking the tongue, you can add onions, carrots, bay leaves, and allspice.
4. Remove the finished beef tongue from the pan with a slotted spoon and immediately place it in a container with ice water. Such a sharp temperature change will allow you to peel your tongue without much effort. Just pry the skin with a fork, grab it with your fingers and pull it off with a stocking. If you did everything correctly, the skin will come off your tongue very easily. If in some places the skin has not separated, simply cut it off with a very sharp knife. Sometimes beef tongue is too oily, and this becomes clearly visible after removing the skin. Don't worry, just trim off the excess fat with a sharp, thin knife, lightly scrape your tongue, and then rinse in cool water. Return the cleaned tongue to the pan and leave to cool in the broth. This simple technique will allow you to make beef tongue even more juicy, tender and flavorful.
5. Cleaning boiled beef tongue, as you can see, is not at all difficult, but not all dishes require boiled tongue. Sometimes the tongue needs to be kept raw before cooking, but the skin still needs to be removed. And here an old culinary trick will come to our aid. Boil a large amount of water in a deep saucepan and keep it over high heat. Pour very cold water into a separate bowl and add more ice cubes. Dip the well-washed tongue into boiling water, cook for a couple of minutes and immediately transfer to ice water. Gently pry and pull off any skin that can come away, using a little help with a very sharp, thin knife. Repeat the procedure one or two more times, and you will be able to completely remove the skin from the beef tongue, and its flesh will remain almost raw and ready for further culinary processing.
6. A delicious beef tongue appetizer is perfect for both everyday and holiday menus. Boil until tender, peel and leave one beef tongue to cool in the broth. While the tongue is cooling, dissolve 1 tbsp in a frying pan. a spoonful of butter, add one chopped onion and fry until transparent. Then add 100 gr. any fresh or frozen mushrooms, cut into slices, and fry until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are lightly browned. Season with a tablespoon of sour cream, stir and remove from heat. In a blender, grind together two pitted prunes and two walnut kernels. Add the resulting mixture to the mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste, and mix thoroughly. Cut the tongue into thin slices, place on a dish, place the mushroom mixture on top and garnish with dill. This appetizer can be served warm or cold.
7. Hungarian cuisine invites us to enjoy a flavorful snack made from tongue and sweet pepper. Boil until tender, peel and cut one beef tongue into large strips. While the tongue is cooking, wrap four large sweet peppers in foil, place them on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 200° for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven, let cool slightly in the foil, then remove the seeds and skin and cut into halves. Grind together 100 g in a blender. pitted olives, 2 tbsp. spoons of parsley and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of basil greens. Grate 100 gr on a coarse grater. your favorite hard cheese. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon. Mix the olive mass with cheese and lemon juice, season with white pepper and finely chopped onion. Place a tablespoon of the resulting mass and a couple or three pieces of beef tongue into each half of the sweet pepper. Wrap the edges of the peppers around the filling and place in a greased baking dish. Bake in an oven preheated to 180° for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
8. French cuisine gave us a very simple recipe for the most aromatic beef tongue with garlic and thyme. Boil one beef tongue until half cooked, about an hour and a half. Remove the skin and strain the broth. Place two peeled heads of garlic, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of broth and a pinch of salt. Grind until smooth. Make several deep cuts on your tongue and rub it thoroughly with garlic paste. Place the tongue in a baking dish, add one glass of broth and half a glass of dry white wine. Bake in an oven preheated to 180° for one hour, periodically pouring broth and wine on top. Place the finished tongue on a dish and cut into portions. Serve with boiled rice and fresh vegetables.
9. Modern Scottish cuisine invites us to try the original spicy beef tongue with vegetables based on Mexican motives. Boil until tender, peel and cut into large cubes one beef tongue. Cut two sweet peppers into thin strips, one small chili pepper into slices, one red onion into half rings, three cloves of garlic into thin petals. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons of vegetable oil, add onion, garlic and chili. Fry for a couple of minutes. Then add beef tongue, 1 teaspoon of paprika, stir and cook for another five minutes. Then add bell peppers, a can of drained canned corn, one large diced tomato, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over medium heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer to a deep metal dish and serve. Just before serving, pour in 50 ml. good whiskey and set it on fire.
10. Russian cuisine has always been famous for its delicious and aromatic recipes for stewed dishes. She didn't let us down this time either. Try to cook a delicious, very tender and satisfying beef tongue stewed with vegetables. Boil until tender, peel and cut one beef tongue into thick slices. Strain the remaining broth. Peel large carrots and parsley root and cut into circles. Peel two small turnips and cut into cubes. Peel and dice one large potato. In a deep frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil, add carrots and parsley and fry until slightly golden brown. Then add the turnips and potatoes and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for another 7 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the heat and transfer to a large ceramic pot. Add boiled tongue to the vegetables, 2 tbsp. spoons of chopped parsley and a sprig of thyme, add salt and black pepper to taste. Pour the broth over everything, cover the pot with a lid and place in an oven preheated to 150° for an hour and a half. Then reduce the heat in the oven to the lowest setting and let the tongue with vegetables simmer for a couple of hours. Make sure the broth level does not drop below one third of the pot. If necessary, add a little hot broth. Turn off the heat in the oven and leave the tongue with vegetables to cool with it. Before serving, pour into portioned pots, heat and add one tablespoon of sour cream to each. Garnish with chopped herbs.
And on the pages of the site you can always find even more interesting ideas and proven recipes that will definitely tell you how to cook beef tongue.
If you decide to cook beef tongue at home, but don’t know how to do it and what to cook with it, then this article will help you. We will share secrets and tell you how the best chefs in the world advise how to cook tongue correctly.
Boiled beef tongue is a tasty and dietary dish
Properly cooked tongue is a truly versatile product. It can act as an independent dish, but chefs do not miss the opportunity to make many tasty and nutritious dishes from it. Now we will tell you how, according to experts, beef tongue is cooked and what dishes can be prepared from it.
Experienced cooks recommend soaking the beef tongue first, and only then start peeling the skin. Cleaning the tongue is quite simple: as soon as the meat has softened after soaking, you need to scrape the surface with a knife to remove coarse fibers. Finally, the offal is washed under running water.
Cooking beef tongue largely depends on a properly selected pan: during the cooking process, the meat increases significantly in volume, so it is necessary to take dishes with large sides.
You can prepare this delicious dish either on a regular stove or using modern kitchen appliances. In this case, it is important to know how long the housewife should cook the tongue until it is ready:
- In a pressure cooker, the cooked offal will be ready in an hour.
- In the slow cooker, it is set to the “Stew” mode for six hours.
- You can use a double boiler and cook the beef tongue for about three hours.
Detailed recipe for preparing the boiled product
If you are preparing boiled beef tongue for the first time, and you want to do it right, use the instructions. It describes step by step the rules for preparing this delicious dish:
1. Take the washed and peeled tongue and cut it in half. After that, put it in a saucepan and put it on the stove.
2. It is necessary to bring the water to a boil, be sure to remove the foam. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the product for a quarter of an hour.
3. Now you need to remove the meat from the broth, rinse it, and pour the liquid from the pan. The dishes must be washed, pour clean cold water and put on the fire to boil. Place the meat in boiling water and continue cooking. Salt to taste.
5. How long it will take to completely cook the tongue can only be said approximately. The product is prepared according to the principle: the longer the better - at least 2.5 hours, without closing the lid completely. Half an hour after cooking, add peeled onions and carrots to the broth, and at the end - bay leaf.
You need to cook the tongue with roots and spices for 3.5-4 hours
Now we bring the product to readiness. To check the meat, use a fork. If the cutlery easily pierces the skin, then it’s time to remove the product and put it in cold water. After 5–10 minutes, you can remove the product from the water.
If you do not want to immediately prepare the first or second course from the tongue, then cut into pieces and wrap in food foil. Culinary experts advise storing the product in the refrigerator in this form: this way it remains fresh and soft for two to four days. Some housewives also use the broth obtained as a result of cooking to prepare soup.
Popular and delicious dishes
So, you were able to properly clean the beef tongue and cook it as written in the instructions. What can you do with the offal now? This dietary product is invaluable in terms of culinary experiments. It is useful for children, pregnant women, and anemic patients. We offer several interesting options for using language in cooking.
Salad with potatoes and champignons
A classic salad can be prepared from beef tongue on an ordinary day or used to decorate a holiday table. Now let's look at the recipe with photos. These instructions with photographs will help you do everything correctly.
Your family will love this tasty and satisfying salad.
For the snack you will need:
- Boiled beef tongue for cutting (150-200 g).
- Potatoes 2 pcs. (it is better if it is boiled in its jacket).
- 2 eggs.
- Lots of pickled cucumbers (at least 6 pieces).
- Polka dots.
- 100 g marinated champignons.
- 2 tbsp. l. mayonnaise.
- A small amount of dill.
Cut the meat into thin slices.
Turn potatoes, cucumbers, eggs into small cubes. Add peas.
The champignons need to be cut into slices.
You can combine the ingredients and season the salad with sauce or mayonnaise.
If you want a dietary option, you don't have to follow the original recipe. You can make small changes - for example, instead of a rich sauce, use sour cream as a dressing. Decorate the dish with dill on top.
Dish “For the New Year”
To add variety to the holiday table, you can try another recipe with tongue. This is a salad that is served warm. For it you need to take:
- 0.5 kg of boiled tongue (cooked according to the classic recipe).
- 0.5 kg of fresh champignons.
- 200 ml cream 10%.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 1 onion.
- 1 carrot.
- 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.
- Salt.
This dish can be served either cold or hot.
It is necessary to prepare the meat product in advance (it’s good if you boiled it a couple of hours in advance - so that the offal remains slightly warm). After cooling it, cut it into cubes and begin processing the remaining ingredients. Mushrooms must be washed, dried, and cut into slices.
Place a frying pan with vegetable oil on the stove, and while it is heating up, peel and finely chop the onion. Grate the peeled carrots on a medium grater. After frying the onions and carrots, add champignons to them and bring until golden brown. Pour the cream into the bowl while continuing to simmer the mushrooms and onions.
After 20 minutes you can connect everything. Decorate the top of the dish with chopped parsley. The dish can be brought to the table. It will be tasty and satisfying, so guests will probably want to know the recipe.
Dietary method of preparation
Do you want to fuss with the product as little as possible and get a dietary dish? Great – then try baking it in the oven. First we make boiled meat. After that we take the following ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. l. sour cream for sauce.
- 2 tbsp. l. mustard / mustard sauce.
- 3 onions.
- 1 peeled carrot.
- Bay leaf, salt, spices to taste.
Beef tongue dishes are suitable for any feast
Boiled meat should be cut into pieces. Grind the onion separately and add it to the tongue. Now comes the turn of your favorite seasonings - you can use any. Leave the food to marinate a little, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Place foil on a baking sheet and begin laying pieces of boiled meat on it in layers. Lubricate each layer with sauce made from sour cream and mustard. Place the beef tongue in the oven for 10–15 minutes. During cooking, an appetizing smell will spread through the kitchen, so immediately after cooking is completed, everyone in the family will probably immediately start eating this dish.
Video about how to cook beef tongue:
Beef tongue is an offal.
But how delicious it is!
A real delicacy, especially when prepared correctly.
Most often, the tongue is boiled, since it itself has a pleasant taste and does not need enrichment.
How to cook beef tongue and what can be prepared from it?
How to cook beef tongue - general cooking principles
It is believed that a tongue weighing up to 1.5 kg needs to be boiled for 3 hours, and if it weighs more, then 3.5 or 4. But in fact, the product does not have to simmer in the kitchen for half a day. This will only make him lose more mass. And how long you need to cook beef tongue directly depends on the chosen method.
How to prepare tongue for cooking:
1. Rinse the product well. Then we take napkins or towels and wipe them off.
2. Take a sharp knife and cut off excess fat. You also need to immediately remove the salivary glands. They are located at the base of the tongue.
3. You can clean your tongue immediately or remove unnecessary film after cooking. It does not affect the taste and is only aesthetic.
To easily clean your tongue, you just need to dip it in cold water after boiling and hold for a few minutes. After this, the skin can be easily peeled off with a knife. If the product is cooked, it will begin to flake off while in the pan. In this case, you can safely take out your tongue!
How to cook beef tongue with vegetables for cutting
Using this method, you can prepare beef tongue for slicing for meat plates, salads and other cold appetizers. The product is aromatic, dense and very tasty. Try it! There was no sausage even close!
Ingredients
1 onion;
1 carrot;
1 parsley root;
5 peppercorns;
1 bay leaf.
Preparation
1. Place the prepared tongue in a saucepan, fill it with water and bring to a boil. We remove the foam, even though we don’t need the broth. Cook the tongue for exactly 1.5 hours at a low simmer.
2. Peel all the vegetables. Cut into large pieces and send to the tongue. Let's boil.
3. Add salt and peppercorns to the broth and cook the tongue for another 40 minutes.
4. How long does it take to cook beef tongue? We check with a knife. If it goes in easily, it's done.
5. Turn off the heat and throw in the bay leaf.
6. Take out the tongue, rinse it with cold water, peel off the skin and put it back into the pan.
7. Let it sit for half an hour and soak in the aromas of spices. Slice after complete cooling; it is better to let it sit in the refrigerator for a while.
How and how long to cook beef tongue in a slow cooker
The multicooker has become a fixture in the kitchens of many housewives. And they prefer to prepare meals for the family with its help. But how long should you cook the tongue in it and what is the best way to cook it?
Ingredients
Carrot;
Preparation
1. Place the washed tongue in the multicooker container.
2. We also wash, peel and add vegetables. There is no need to cut them, throw them whole. You can remove the top skin from the onion and leave the second layer, it gives a pleasant taste.
3. Throw in peppercorns, but do not add salt.
4. Fill with water. How many? Maybe a couple of glasses or a couple of liters. The less liquid, the less flavor will go into the broth. But there must be water.
5. Close and cook on cooking mode for 2 hours. Similarly, you can cook using the stewing mode, the time is also 2 hours. This method works better if less water is added.
6. 20 minutes before it’s ready, open it and add salt.
How to cook beef tongue for aspic
Beef tongue aspic is just the bomb! A chic dish for the holiday table that will definitely be noticed. But how to cook it and what spices are best combined with?
Ingredients
0.5 kg of tongue;
1 onion;
1 bay leaf;
3 sprigs of parsley;
5 peppercorns;
1 carrot.
For the broth:
0.5 kg of bones;
Onions, carrots;
Various spices;
1.5 liters of water;
20 grams of gelatin.
Preparation
1. Boil the tongue in water for 2 hours. Then add salt, whole carrots, onions, parsley and everything else. Cook until the carrots are ready.
2. We take out the tongue and carrots, everything else can be thrown away, we won’t need it.
3. Chop the bones, wash them and prepare a rich broth from them with the addition of vegetables. It needs to be cooked for at least three hours, at the end seasoned with spices.
4. To make the broth beautiful, do not forget to remove the foam. It can also be lightened with whipped egg white, which is boiled in a saucepan and then removed with a slotted spoon.
5. Pour some of the cooled broth over the gelatin, let it swell, and then heat it up. Combine with the rest of the broth.
6. Cut the cleaned tongue into beautiful pieces. We also chop the carrots.
7. Pour a thin layer of broth 3-4 millimeters into the bottom of the dish and let it harden in the refrigerator.
8. Take out and lay out slices of tongue and carrots, add herbs, you can add boiled eggs.
9. Pour broth over the products and cool until completely frozen.
How long to steam beef tongue?
If you have a double boiler, you can cook the delicacy in it. This method allows you to get the most delicious product, which retains most of the vitamins. Instead of a double boiler, you can use a multicooker with the appropriate function. But how long does it take to steam beef tongue?
Ingredients
Bay leaf.
Preparation
1. Rinse your tongue and rub it with spices. But it is not recommended to use salt, so as not to provoke the release of juice. It is better to add salt to the already cooked tongue. Place in a steamer.
2. Place garlic cloves and bay leaves nearby. You can add other spices, throw in a star of cloves or peppercorns, and to prevent them from falling through, you can put them on a piece of gauze.
3. Turn on the steamer and cook the tongue for 2 hours and 30 minutes. When vaping, the spices will give off a magical aroma that will permeate the product.
How to cook beef tongue with potatoes and other vegetables
Cooking tongue dishes is a delicate matter. And it is better to produce it in two stages, since the first broth from it is not very beautiful and tasty. It's better to drain it. But with the second broth, rich and aromatic, you can prepare an amazing dish with vegetables for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
0.8 kg potatoes;
Carrot;
2 tomatoes;
Preparation
1. Fill the product with water, let it boil and cook for 10 minutes. At this time, separately boil 2 liters of clean water, or just in a kettle.
2. Drain the broth from the tongue, rinse it, and also wash the pan.
3. Pour boiling water and now set to cook for 2 hours. But we focus on softness. If the animal is old, it may take all of 3 hours.
4. Take out the tongue and add potatoes, cut into large pieces, into the broth. If the liquid has boiled away, you can pour in a little boiling water.
5. After about five minutes, throw in the onions and carrots, cook the vegetables until soft, and add salt to the dish.
6. For now, let's clear the tongue. We remove everything unnecessary from it and cut it into transverse slices. You can put the entire tongue in the dish or leave some for other purposes, for example, for a meat salad.
7. Place the tongue in the pan with our dish so that it is saturated with the taste of vegetables.
8. As soon as the potatoes become easy to pierce, add the tomatoes cut into slices.
9. We start the greens, you can throw in a bay leaf, pepper and turn it off!
How to cook beef tongue for a child (up to a year and older)
Tongue is an excellent product for baby food. It is suitable for the first meat feeding and the child’s subsequent diet. But if a two-year-old baby can handle the pieces himself, then how to boil the tongue of a child under one year old and what can be added to it?
Ingredients
Vegetable broth;
Preparation
1. Cook the tongue until soft. You can cut it into pieces, it will cook faster.
2. To salt or not? If a child eats everything without salt, then there is no need to add salt. If he has already tasted salty food, then season it a little.
3. Place the boiled pieces in a blender and add liquid. It is not recommended to give meat broths to young children. Add vegetable broth.
4. Mix into puree. This tongue can be given on its own, added to soups and vegetable dishes.
If you cover your tongue with salt and leave it for two hours, it will taste better. But just remember to rinse it before cooking. In this case, salting the water is also not recommended.
Should I add spices or not when cooking tongue? There are no strict rules and it's just a matter of taste. But flavorful additions enhance the product and make it better.
Left over rich broth after boiling your tongue? It can be used for soup. And also for main courses and sauces. And if you don’t plan to cook anything now, you can pour it into small molds and freeze. Homemade bouillon cubes always come in handy!
Beef tongue is a delicacy with a specific delicate taste. Its meat is healthy and belongs to dietary products. Doctors recommend eating it when you have low hemoglobin, during pregnancy, and also include it in the children's menu. However, not every housewife is ready to take on the task of preparing this delicacy. Many people have a question: how to cook beef tongue so that it is soft? This question is not accidental - if you cook the tongue incorrectly, it will turn out tough and lose its taste appeal. But today you will learn all the intricacies of preparing this delicacy, after which you will be able to use it in your menu.
Preliminary preparation of the product
Beef tongue is used as an appetizer in its pure form, cut into pieces like sausage, and all kinds of salads and aspic are prepared from it. However, it is always boiled first. Before starting cooking, the delicacy must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt. Usually it is defrosted and then immersed in cool water for about half an hour.
During this time, its top layer will become wet and can be easily cleaned. Take a knife and scrape the surface of the delicacy under running water. If you have a special brush for peeling vegetables, use this device.
Use a brush to remove any remaining blood, mucus, grease, or dirt from the skin. The surface should eventually become absolutely clean and homogeneous. Now we proceed directly to cooking the product.
How and how long to cook beef tongue until done?
Cow tongue, like all beef, requires long-term heat treatment. As you understand, we will cook in a saucepan... You will need a large saucepan for cooking (since the tongue itself is quite large). First, pour a sufficient amount of water into it, place it on the stove, and bring to a boil. Place peeled onion, peppercorns and bay leaf into boiling water. Salt is added only at the very end of cooking the tongue. If you salt the broth right away, our delicacy will be tough, and it will take longer to cook than usual.
Finally we begin to cook the tongue. Place the product in boiling water. This is important so that it turns out soft and tender. Cooking time depends on the size of the muscle and the age of the animal. On average, beef tongue in a pan will cook from two to four hours. When you put the product in boiling water, you need to wait until the water comes to a boil again. As soon as this happens, you need to set the fire intensity to the very minimum. Now noise or foam will begin to form on the broth. It must be removed with a slotted spoon. This must be done so that the broth subsequently remains clear. Meat broth is suitable for making soup or aspic; it is very tasty and satisfying.
How to tell if your tongue is boiled?
After two hours of cooking, carefully remove the contents of the pan from the broth onto a plate. Take a knife and make a puncture. What liquid leaks from the meat? If it is completely transparent, then the delicacy is ready. If it is cloudy, then you should put the meat back in the pan and cook for another hour. Check a large piece for readiness no earlier than after three hours of cooking.
After making sure that the meat is cooked, return the piece to the pan and add salt to the broth to taste. Continue cooking it a little more (15-20 minutes) so that the delicacy is salted. Some housewives salt beef tongue only after peeling the film from it. They put the already peeled piece into salted broth and boil over low heat for 15 minutes. In this case, the delicacy will be salted more deeply.
How to remove the film from a finished tongue?
To easily remove the top film from the product, remove it from the boiling broth and immediately transfer it to a pan with cold water. Let the meat sit for three minutes, then place the delicacy on a plate and carefully remove the film from the entire surface. Under the influence of temperature changes, the skin will slightly lag behind the meat and can be easily removed with a knife. The product is now completely ready. You can cook various dishes with the boiled delicacy or eat it with any side dish or just with bread.
What are the benefits of beef tongue??
Gourmets highly value beef tongue for its delicate texture and pleasant taste. However, not only the taste of the delicacy is good. This delicacy is incredibly healthy. It is easily digestible and contains little fat as it is a muscle. The protein content here ranges from 16%. The carbohydrate composition of dietary meat is very low - approximately 2.2%. The fat indicator depends on the animal itself. If the cow is young, then there is little fat in the tongue meat - within 8-9%.
The vitamin composition of tongue meat is quite wide. There is especially a lot of vitamin B12 here. Seventy grams of the delicacy contains the daily requirement for a person! There is also a lot of zinc here - if you eat 100 g of tongue every day, then you will be provided with almost half of the daily requirement of this substance. The product is rich in iron, magnesium and potassium, while it has a low cholesterol content. All these qualities make it possible to recommend this product for nutrition to people with heart and vascular diseases, during the postoperative period, with anemia, as well as for children.
Beef tongue is tasty and healthy and easy to prepare. When planning to cook it, simply place the peeled delicacy in boiling water and set the heat to low, do not add salt until the end of cooking. After 2-4 hours, check for readiness, add salt to the broth and boil a little more. Then place the meat in cold water and remove the chaff.
