Cereals are tasty and versatile ingredients whatever the season: they appear in salads in summer and go into to warm comforting soups in winter-time. It could turn out to be more difficult than it seems to cook spelt, quinoa or cous cous: whilst it is certainly true that it is easy to find and store dry cereals, the same cannot be said for their preparation.
So, how should we go about cooking spelt or bulgur? What are the correct cooking times for the various types of cereals? How much water should we use to cook millet, barley and oats?
If that bowl full of grains puzzles you, take a look at this handy guide for cooking cereals. For each type, it provides indications on soaking, the amount of water required and the cooking time.
Enjoy!
AMARANTH
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1 (e.g. two cups of water to one cup of cereal)
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
OATS
Soaking: no
Water: 3:1
Cooking time: 50 minutes
BULGUR
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
COUS COUS
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
HULLED SPELT
Soaking: 9 hours
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 45 minutes
PEARLED SPELT
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 30 minutes
BUCKWHEAT
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 20 minutes
SOFT WHEAT
Soaking: 9 hours
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 40 minutes
MILLET
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 20 minutes
HULLED BARLEY
Soaking: 6 hours
Water: 3:1
Cooking time: 45 minutes
PEARLED BARLEY
Soaking: 9 hours
Water: 3:1
Cooking time: 25 minutes
QUINOA
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
BROWN RICE
Soaking: no
Water: 2:1
Cooking time: 40 minutes
RYE
Soaking: 12 hours
Water 3:1
Cooking time: 50 minutes
