I don't bother with carefully measuring water or fiddling around with getting just the right flame when I cook whole grains on the stove. Instead, I cook pretty much every type of grain using the same no-fuss method — with great results every time.
Basically, I use the same method for cooking whole grains that I use for cooking pasta: I simmer the grains in a good amount of salted water until they are the right texture, and then drain them. Some grains like quinoa benefit from a 10-minute rest in the covered pot after draining, which gives a better texture, but for most of the other grains I use on a regular basis, such as barley, wheat berries, or farro, this isn't necessary.
Brown rice is the only whole grain I don't use this method for, as I prefer the texture when it is cooked in the traditional way, but it can done. In fact, Saveur uses it in their recipe for Perfect Brown Rice.
A couple hints when using this method:
• When cooking quinoa, watch for the point when most of the grains have little spirals (the germ) curling around them. That's when it's done cooking. Drain it, put it back in the pot off the heat and cover it for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.• For all other grains, periodically taste as they cook and drain them once they are cooked through and soft.
• Very hard grains like wheat berries will need 45 minutes or more of simmering, so add water if too much boils off during cooking.
• As with pasta, generously salt the water. You can also add bay leaf, herb sprigs, garlic cloves or other aromatics that can be easily removed once the grains are cooked through.
Have you ever tried this method? How do you cook whole grains?
Related: How To Cook Brown Rice
(Image: Joe Belanger/Shutterstock)
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i like that pot! what and where can I get it!
Cook's Illustrated method for baking brown rice produces rice perfection!
You are losing all of the water soluble vitamins when you cook grains this way.
The water-soluble vitamins in grains (i.e., the Bs) are highly unstable -- for example, they are lost if the grains are exposed to light during storage.
So... water-soluble vitamins are inherently difficult to retain during storage and cooking.
Do you have any studies which show the differences in vitamin levels in relation to different cooking methods @TASTEFULLYJULIE?
The problem with the other cooking methods is scorching because you use too little water (that destroys the vitamins too). I guess that leaves steaming...
I don't have my hands on any particular studies but I am a registered dietitian and this is what we were taught in school. We never advocate rinsing or draining any cooking water whenever it is possible (eg. steaming vegetables vs. boiling) in order to retain as many nutrients as possible.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like it's more fuss to get out a strainer that I then have to wash than it is to just use a measuring cup to scoop out my grains and measure out the water.
Personally I cook almost every grain, even pasta, using the absorption method, like for a risotto : a touch of olive oil, add your grain, your spices or herbs or bacon or vegetable or whatever, sauté for a few minutes and then add the water. It's always very good and no strainer is needed (because who likes to clean that?!).
I just bought a rice cooker ($35) and have tried it for white rice, brown rice, quinoa and kasha. It works pretty well, and I feel like I can just set it up and walk away from it. Maybe not for everyone, but another good one-size fits all option.
We never ate brown rice until I learned the Saveur method. We're big rice eaters, and we've moved from virtually 100% white rice to about 98% brown rice. (There's something about paillard of lemon chicken that seems to need white rice. It's about the only time we use it now.)
@Jardin Bleu —
How on earth do you cook spaghetti or linguini with the absorption method? I can't imagine that it's possible...
@ALUAPK01 - I have that pot! It's a small le creuset pot. It comes with a cover, too! Mine is from my parents - they got theirs in the 80s for a wedding gift along with the typical dutch oven. It looks like they don't make it anymore - you could try ebay! I've found it's a nice pot, but the size is so small I rarely use it other than for heating up a small serving of veggies or something silly like melting butter.
@marion in savannah : I didn't mention the obvious, that of course it works only with the small kind of pasta !
Following the lead of our Japanese friend, we got a Zojirushi rice cooker that stays on most the time (kinda spendy, but it's made for HEAVY use). Toss in the rice--or steel-cut oats or whatever--pour in the water, and the cooker does the rest. It has settings for sushi rice, porridge, brown rice, white rice, combined rice.
The best thing is the "keep warm" feature. When the cooking is done, it keeps your cooked grains warm and hydrated on the counter top for when you're ready to eat, even if it's two days later. No having to refrigerate it, then pry it out of a plastic container and microwave it. I love that!
@ALUAPK01 - It is a cute pot, and @SMILEMILY is right about it being old Le Creuset. I got one a lot like it for nothing at a thrift store, and after looking it up when I got home and seeing all of the cute wood handled ones online, I was sort of sad that mine was all moulded from the same cast iron. Then I thought about the fact that I wouldn't be able to put the wood handled one in the oven, and I felt better about it. That is definitely something to keep in mind if you are serious about buying it; I've almost bought a few cast iron things before realizing I wanted something more versatile, if less cute, than wood-handled cookware.