Can horse hooves be boiled together with their skin

Horseshoes can be boiled together with their skin, but it is recommended to eat them peeled for safety. Horseshoe skins may contain residual soil or microorganisms, and peeling them can reduce digestive burden while enhancing taste. Although horseshoe bark contains a small amount of dietary fiber and antioxidants, its surface is prone to attachment of parasitic eggs, bacteria, or pesticide residues from farmland. When cooking directly with the skin, although high temperature can kill some microorganisms, it cannot completely remove impurities from the skin. For people with weak gastrointestinal function, consuming with skin on may cause bloating or mild diarrhea. The leather of horse hooves is hard, and even when cooked, it can still affect the overall soft and chewy taste. Children and the elderly may have a choking risk when chewing. If you insist on cooking with skin on, you need to thoroughly clean the dirt in the grooves of the skin with a hard brush first, and then soak it in light salt water for more than half an hour. During the cooking process, it is necessary to extend the boiling water cooking time to at least 20 minutes to ensure complete internal maturation. In traditional dietary therapy, boiling water with skin on can be used to relieve sore throat, but only drinking the soup after filtering out the residue. Some individuals, such as those with allergies and irritable bowel syndrome, should completely avoid contact with the epidermis.

For daily consumption, it is recommended to thoroughly peel the water chestnuts and steam them, stew them in soup, or make desserts. This can preserve the sweet flavor of the water chestnuts while avoiding potential health risks. Pay attention to tool cleaning during processing to prevent cross contamination. Fresh water hooves should be stored in a dry and ventilated environment, and sprouted or blackened hooves should be discarded. Special groups such as pregnant women and diabetes patients can consult a nutritionist before eating, and adjust the intake according to individual conditions.