Note: You can buy hulled barley, which has only had the inedible hull removed. Pearled barley (also called pearl or pot barley) has been polished to remove the bran. Hulled barley is chewier and takes longer to cook, while pearled barley takes less time to cook and has a more refined taste and texture.
1 part pearled or hulled barley
3 parts water or broth
Salt
To cook either kind of barley, bring the amount of liquid you need to a boil—for instance, 3 cups liquid if you are going to cook 1 cup barley. Add the barley and a pinch or two of salt if desired and simmer on low heat, covered, for at least 45 minutes for pearled, and about twice that for hulled.
You can freeze cooked, cooled barley. Simply thaw it before using. Or throw it in a soup pot toward the end of the cooking with the other ingredients to thaw quickly and heat through.