Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [17]
RINSING
Most whole grains sold in the United States today, either domestic or imported, are very clean—unlike in the past. Rarely will you find a package with dusty, sandy, or otherwise dirty grain full of chaff, tiny stones, and other minuscule things. Some people insist that you rinse all grains; others say to refrain from it. I have often tested rinsed and unrinsed grains side by side, and frankly, I could not tell the difference. As a result, I just take a quick glance and, most of the time, save myself the additional step of rinsing.
There are two exceptions: One grain that I always rinse is quinoa, because of the natural bitter saponin layer around each kernel—and while this layer is mechanically shaved off in most quinoa on the market, producers continue to recommend rinsing the grain. On the other hand, you should never rinse short-grain brown rice if you want to make risotto: rinsing removes what makes risotto so deliciously creamy, the starch.
But by all means, rinse quick-cooking grains such as buckwheat, millet, or quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve if you like, or if they don’t seem clean, or if it makes you feel better. Exceptions are amaranth and teff: their seeds are so tiny that you will wash them down the drain.
In the rare case of a dirty batch of whole grain berries (such as wheat, rye, or hulled barley), you can rinse them in a sieve, or else place the kernels in a bowl, fill the bowl with cold water, and swish the grains around with your hands until chaff and broken pieces float to the top. Carefully pour out the water and floating residue. Repeat if needed, and then drain the grain berries in a sieve.
SOAKING
Quick-cooking grains such as buckwheat, millet, and quinoa do not need to be soaked. Some grains like brown rice or whole oats can but do not have to be soaked. Slow-cooking whole grains such as rye and wheat berries benefit from soaking, for two reasons. As a rule of thumb, soaking decreases their cooking time and makes, in my opinion, for plumper, more appealing and tender kernels. I also find that the grain becomes easier to digest. This is even more important if you are new to eating whole grains.
Hence, I recommend that you always soak chewy whole grain berries for at least 8 hours or overnight. Tough-skinned berries such as rye and hard wheat can soak for up to 24 hours. If you can’t cook the soaked grains right away, drain and store them in the fridge until you are ready to cook. For cooking times and other details see this table. To preserve nutrients, some people prefer to cook their whole grains in the water used for soaking. Feel free to do this, following the same water amounts recommended in the table.
If you forget to soak your slow-cooking whole grains such as wheat or rye, you have two options: Just cook them longer, adding more water if needed, until they are tender with a slight chewiness. Or use a quick-soak method that you might know from dried beans. Put the grains in a pot, cover with an inch of water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and cook as directed in the recipe.
With the growing interest in whole grains, I have seen recipes that recommend cooking hard wheat berries in just 25 to 45 minutes without previous soaking. Frankly, this will require a lot of chewing by the humble eater. I also worry about his or her digestive system. Anyone who has eaten undercooked beans knows what I’m talking about. Most important, give whole grains the time they need to cook up nicely so you will actually enjoy them more than once. And when you have no time to do that, enjoy one of the many quick-cooking