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Alfalfa sprouts are small stringy sprouts that are filled with nutrients. These sprouts often carry bacteria so it is important to wash them before you eat them. Add the delicious and healthy alfalfa sprouts to sandwiches, soups, toast, and salads to provide crunch and to make your dish look extra gourmet!
Steps
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Throw away any sprouts that look soggy. Check the alfalfa sprouts for any sprouts that don’t look fresh. If you spot any dark or squishy sprouts, throw them away to avoid getting sick from the bacteria in the sprouts. If the sprouts smell bad, this signifies that they are past their best and should be thrown away. Use the sprouts within 4 days of purchase.- Dispose of sprouts that are past their best into the compost or trash.
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Wash your hands with warm water and soap before you touch the sprouts. This stops foreign bacteria from getting on the sprouts. Wash your hands again after you have finished touching the raw sprouts so that you don’t contaminate any other food or objects with the bacteria from the sprouts.- Try to use a natural soap so that you don’t contaminate the sprouts with chemicals.
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Rinse the sprouts under cold water for 1 minute. Place the sprouts into a clean sieve or a colander and run cold water over the sprouts for 1 minute. Move the sprouts around while the water runs over them to help remove any dirt. Lightly shake the colander to remove any excess water from the sprouts.- Avoid washing the sprouts with hot water as this will cause them to wilt.
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Place the sprouts on a paper towel to dry. Nobody likes a soggy sandwich! Spread the sprouts on the paper towel so that they are in a single layer. This will help the sprouts to dry evenly. Leave the sprouts to dry for 5 minutes.- If you have a lot of sprouts, you may need to use multiple paper towels.
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Place alfalfa sprouts in your sandwich to add a crunch. Alfalfa sprouts add a delicious fresh and nutty flavour to sandwiches. Add a layer of sprouts to your sandwich or place a small handful on top of the sandwich as a garnish.- If you are toasting your sandwich, place the sprouts on top after you have toasted it. This will stop the sprouts from wilting and sticking to the toasting press.
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Sprinkle alfalfa sprouts over your avocado toast to add a healthy crunch. Place alfalfa sprouts on your avocado toast to add extra fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and folate to your snack. Sprinkle the sprouts on top of the avocado so that they don’t touch the hot toast and wilt. -
Add alfalfa sprouts to your salad to add texture and colour. Alfalfa sprouts are a great way to make a simple salad more interesting. Mix the sprouts through the salad so that they are evenly distributed. Alternatively, place a small handful on top of the salad as a garnish. [1] X Research source- If you are making a hot salad, use the sprouts as a garnish so that they don’t wilt.
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Eat the alfalfa sprouts raw if you feel like a fresh and healthy snack. Alfalfa sprouts have a yummy nutty flavour and a satisfying crunch. Pop a small handful into your mouth and enjoy their unique texture. [2] X Research source
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Mix alfalfa sprouts into your soup to add flavour. The mild nutty flavour of alfalfa sprouts makes them an ideal addition to vegetable soup. Drop a small handful of sprouts into your soup with the rest of your vegetable and allow them to soak up the broth.- Add herbs such as parsley and coriander with the alfalfa sprouts to add extra flavour to the soup.
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Sprinkle alfalfa sprouts over a warm salad to wilt the sprouts. Use alfalfa sprouts to help add moisture, texture, and nutrition to warm salads. Cook the hot components of the salad and then stir the alfalfa sprouts through the mixture 5 minutes before serving. This will give the sprouts a chance to wilt. [3] X Research source- Sprouts work well in roast vegetable salads and hot potato salads.
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Add the alfalfa sprouts to your stir-fry to add flavour. Try adding alfalfa sprouts to a beef, lamb, or chicken stir-fry. The sprouts will wilt down but will retain their mild nutty flavour and compliment the flavours of the meat. Add the sprouts about 5 minutes before the stir-fry is cooked so that they don’t disintegrate too much.- This is a great way to eat sprouts if you are worried about the health risks. Simply add them to your stir-fry and let them cook for 3 minutes.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do I make sure Alfalfa sprouts are clean?Helen Rennie is a chef based in Natick, Massachusetts. She is both the owner of a cooking school and the creator of Helen’s Kitchen, a YouTube channel where she teaches cooking techniques and food science to over 560K subscribers. Helen’s classes and videos focus on many topics, including knife skills, fish, meat, poultry, sauces, vegetables, beans, grains, pies, tarts, pastry, pizza, pasta, grilling, and more. She started her cooking career with an internship in Casablanca Restaurant, and eventually earned a teaching position at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In 2005, she founded Helen's Kitchen, her culinary education business where she teaches people to cook. Since its founding, Helen’s Kitchen has taught 1,000+ students. Helen's cooking philosophy centers on finding creative ways to prepare local ingredients. She teaches cooking classes in her house in Natick with a strong focus on culinary techniques and food science. She received a BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University.To make sure that your alfalfa sprouts are safe to eat, you’ll need to go beyond just washing them, since rinsing alone won’t eliminate harmful bacteria like salmonella or e coli if they are present. Sprouts can sometimes carry bacteria because of the warm, moist conditions they grow in, which are also ideal for bacterial growth. If you want to be extra cautious, blanching the alfalfa sprouts for a few seconds in boiling water is a good option, doing this can reduce bacteria without completely cooking them. But keep in mind that doing this might slightly change their texture.
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Warnings
- Pregnant and nursing women should avoid eating uncooked alfalfa sprouts as they are known to carry Salmonella and E. coli. Cook the sprouts to help minimize the risk of sickness caused by these bacteria. [4] X Trustworthy Source FoodSafety.gov Online portal combining food safety information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Go to sourceThanks
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Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about cooking, check out our in-depth interview with Helen Rennie .
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Reader Success Stories
- "Thank you for explaining how to clean alfalfa sprouts. I used to only cut off the top of the plant, but now I know that I can use the whole plant. Also, thank's for explaining about the bacteria. This is very important to know." ..." more
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"Thank you for explaining how to clean alfalfa sprouts. I used to only cut off the top of the plant, but now I know that I can use the whole plant. Also, thank's for explaining about the bacteria. This is very important to know."
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