Cooking Grains, the Easy Way

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Time: 10 minutes to more than 1 hour, depending on the grain

M O

I’m providing a recipe for this method, but you don’t need it: Put the grains in a pot with water and cook them until they’re done the way you like them. Period. The worst thing that can happen is that the inside of the grain will absorb so much liquid its interior bursts through its outer layer. Eventually it will turn to mush, but some people actually prefer their grains burst — the starch released makes the grains creamier.

This recipe can be scaled up and frozen in meal-sized portions for months.

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained; barley (any type), oat groats, buckwheat groats, wild rice, cracked wheat, hominy, freekeh, whole rye, farro, teff, spelt, kamut, pearl couscous, or triticale; or 1½ cups wheat berries
• Pinch salt
• Olive oil, any other oil, or butter for serving

1. Combine the grain with the salt and water to cover by at least an inch in a small-to-medium saucepan. (Use 3 cups water for pearled barley.) Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the grain is tender. This will take as little as 7 or 8 minutes with pearl couscous and as long as 1 hour or more for spelt, wheat berries, and other unhulled grains. Add boiling water as necessary for most of the cooking time to keep the grains covered, but, as the grains swell and begins to become tender, keep just enough water in the pot to keep the grains from drying out.
3. The grain is done when it tastes done: Whole grains will always have some bite to them, but milled or cut grains will become mushy if overcooked, so be careful. Ideally, you’ll have cooked out all of the water at about the same time the grain is tender, but if any water remains, drain the grain. It can sit in the pot, covered, for 15 minutes to dry it out.
4. Toss the grain with oil or butter to taste if you’re serving right away, or see “5 Ways to Enhance Cooked Grains,” below. If storing, toss it with a couple of tablespoons oil to keep the grains from sticking together too much, then cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

5 Ways to Enhance Cooked Grains

In Step 4, use a large fork to toss any of the following ingredients with the grains and oil or butter:

1. Just-tender cooked vegetables like peas, chopped greens, or broccoli or cauliflower florets, or chopped cooked root vegetables
2. A couple of spoonfuls of a simple sauce, like any Flavored Oil (page 627); any Chile Paste (page 664) or Miso Sauce (page 653); or any of Soy Sauce–Based Sauces on pages 654 to 659
3. ¼ to ½ cup finely grated or crumbled cheese, like Parmesan, feta, any blue cheese, or goat cheese
4. 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, like chives, parsley, cilantro, or mint
5. 1 to 2 cups of any cooked beans