Quinoa, Direct Absorption
Quinoa cooked by direct absorption in the container: exactly the right water for the pack, a short soak, one gentle setting and a rest — no draining, nothing poured away.
Ingredients
- — All in —
- 180 g quinoa, rinsed
- 360 ml water, poured from a measuring jug
- 2.2 g salt (about ¼ tsp), spooned level
Method
- Quinoa, its cooking water and the salt into the 1.0 L container. Stir once and level the grain under the water, then leave it to soak: set a timer for 20 minutes. The soak pre-hydrates the grain and shortens the cook — it is a step, not a suggestion.
- When it goes off, cooking lid on loose. Set the heat once: gentle — about 4 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 1 on a portable hob (see Heat below) — and set a timer for 39 minutes. On a plug-in portable hob, level 1 runs gentler on this pot — set the timer for 53 minutes there instead. No stirring, no peeking: that single setting takes it from cold to cooked. Alternatively, if time is pressed: bring it to the boil on a higher heat — about 6 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob — without stirring; that takes about 9 minutes. As soon as it boils, turn it back down to the gentle setting and set a timer for 18 minutes: about 27–28 minutes in all instead of 39. Do not leave it on the higher heat once it is boiling.
- When the timer goes off, lift the lid just enough to look: the surface should be dry, with small steam holes right through it. Water still pooling? Lid back on and set a timer for 4 minutes.
- Heat off, lid on, and set a timer for 5 minutes — the rest finishes the cook, and skipping it is why grains disappoint.
- When it goes off, fluff with a fork and serve from the container.
- To reheat from the fridge: storage lid off, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over the grain, cooking lid on loose, onto a gentle heat — about 5 of 9 on a fitted induction hob, level 2 on a portable hob. Set a timer for 6 minutes; when it goes off, fluff with a fork and give it 2 minutes more if it is not steaming hot right through.
Heat
| Stage | Heat into the pan | Induction hob (settings 1–9) | Portable induction hob | What to look for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook — one setting, cold to cooked | about 78–130 W (gentle, steady) | about 4 of 9 | level 1 (the 114 W setting) | it comes up quietly, then the surface goes dry with steam holes |
| Reheat from the fridge | gentle | about 4 of 9 | level 1 (the 114 W setting) | steaming hot right through |
Hob settings are not standard — the same number means different heat on different hobs. The power figures show how hard the pan is actually being heated. The settings shown are for a typical fitted induction hob with settings 1–9, and for a plug-in portable induction hob with power settings. Go by what you see in the pan, then remember the setting that gave it on your own hob.
Cook’s checks
- Surface dry with steam holes; no water pooling; grains tender after the rest.
- Water still pooling at the timer: lid back on, 4 more minutes. Dry but firm after the rest: 30 ml boiling water, lid on, 5 minutes off the heat.
- Cook with the cooking lid loose or vented; never heat with a friction-fit storage lid sealed. Container and lid get very hot — cloth or oven gloves.
- Test Kitchen recipes are created by our recipe creation team and are awaiting our kitchen team to capture the recipe's visual representation.
Nutrition
| Serving | Calories | Protein | Fat | Saturates | Carbohydrate | Sugars | Fibre | Salt / sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 299 kcal | 12 g | 4 g | 0.5 g | 52 g | 5.5 g | 6.3 g | 0.5 g sodium (1.2 g salt) |
Nutrition information is provided for general reference only. Values are estimates based on typical ingredient data and will vary with brands, cuts, portion sizes and preparation. They are not intended as precise nutritional, dietary or medical guidance.