How to Cook with Raisins?

Raisins are the sweet gems that can act as a final touch in your cooking recipes. They add incredible fruity complexity to sweet and savoury dishes such as cooked meats, salads, pasta, and cookies. For those of us who love to cook with raisins, you know that plump, so yummy raisins in the recipes are what we are after.

In this article, I am going to show you the best ways to use raisins in your cooking recipes.

You can find out more on our other blogs on “Raisin Meditation for Mindful Eating“.

What food goes well with raisins?

• Raisins can be paired with sweet and savoury, mild or spicy flavours, cinnamon, vanilla, and citrus flavours. They can create an excellent taste base and background for ethnic and savoury dishes and are also compatible with all sweet recipes.
• When added to a food that is traditionally cooked, such as sauces or stews and then pureed, raisins have the great ability to take the flavour profile to a whole new level.
• Raisins are also a good pair for comfort foods such as ice cream, cheeseburger, scones, french toast, muffins, breads and rolls, as well as dry cereals and cookies. Lately, raisins have also found their ways into wraps and savoury sauces, Latin libations and fruitful desserts.
• You can combine raisins with spicy, crunchy, smoky and salty ingredients to create a range of soft, balanced and elegant tastes from the earthy and deep to the super aromatic.

How to prepare raisins?

If you store your raisins correctly without getting dried out, they need no special preparation. Still, you may want to soften them in one of the following ways:

1. To make raisins plumper for baking, cover them with hot water and leave them for 5 minutes. Or, let them soak overnight in your refrigerator. To maintain their flavour and nutrients, you can use the least amount of water possible and then add the juice to your recipe.
2. If the raisins have dried out by unsuitable storage, steam them over boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Or, sprinkle some water on them, cover, and microwave for 2 minutes, then let stand, wrapped, for 1 minute longer.
3. Raisins that are stuck together in a strong cluster will loosen up and separate if you heat them in a 300° oven for a few minutes.

Tips and Tricks:

• When chopping raisins with a chopper or knife, coat its blade gently with vegetable or olive oil to prevent the fruit from sticking to the edge.
• For easy grinding, freeze the raisins first, then use olive oil to cover the blades of your blender or food processor.
• While baking with raisins, roll them in dry flour before combining them with batter to keep them from sinking to the bottom of your pan.

So that’s it for today. The next time you are cooking with raisins, try these tips and pair them with other flavours to create a brand-new taste. I am sure you are going to love the results.

If you know other great tips for cooking with raisins, please share them with us in the comments below. <3