Cooking Grains and Legumes

The majority of my culinary experimentation in my 20s consisted of taking vegetables from my CSA box, and combining them with olive oil, rice and salt.

I appreciated the CSA box so much because one, vegetables and fruit were delivered to my door, and two, much of which was provided were vegetables that were not readily available in grocery stores. I was making Romanesco before Romanesco was trendy.

Oooh, did I think I was creative. It was easy and provided me enough food for an entire week at work where I didn’t have to leave my desk (if you have ever taught, you know how much of a necessity that is).

I wish I knew then what I knew now, so that I could do some of those ingredients more justice.

At their core, grains and legumes are dried, and rehydrated by soaking and cooking in a liquid. But, there is so much more to grains and legumes – so many options. So many techniques. There is even nuance in their preparations – for each, there is an optimal time to add the grain/legume to the cooking liquid, and when to add salt.

And they are not really difficult to work with AND make interesting. And, they are great for batch cooking, as you can make a great deal of volume with only a few ingredients.

Cooking Legumes
Let’s start with legumes – beans, lentils, or peas. I have a secret love of beans – not only are they packed with fiber and plant-based protein, but they just freaking taste amazing (legitimately, the BEST thing I have ever eaten was a black bean soup that I made a few weeks ago).

I also am a huge advocate for dried beans over canned, more than just because they are ridiculously affordable and very filling. I’m a sucker for anything that takes time and effort. I think it’s the part of me that has this real desire to be a pioneer living in an age where we grow our own food and make everything from scratch (of course also with modern medicine, hygiene, technology, and indoor plumbing – let’s be real). And, for me, I have so much more control over the cooking process with dried beans, because it is longer, and takes a smidge more effort. That being said, there is a time and place for canned beans, and they are a great option. Just my personal preference.

The first step in properly cooking flavorful legumes is to soak them (there are some legumes that do not have to be soaked: lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas). Why do we soak legumes? In soaking, the skins are softened, which makes for shorter cooking times and more even cooking, and maybe a creamier texture. It also has to do with the lectins naturally occurring in foods like beans and nightshades – they are not-so-good for us if ingested in excess (certain lectins can cause digestive distress); soaking and cooking is thought to reduce those lectins. Kidney beans in particular contain a lectin that is toxic to humans, but are completely safe when soaked and cooked properly. In fact, lectins can be all but eliminated through cooking – but, the water must be boiled (just like high heat kills bacteria in meat, high water heat eliminates lectins in legumes). It is for that reason that slow-cooking raw beans is not recommended.

There are two methods of soaking beans – a long-soak and a short-soak. As the name implies, the difference is in the length of time that the dried beans are soaked. There is no difference in flavor/texture afterwards.

Short Soak: Put legumes in pot. Add enough water to cover legumes and 2 additional inches of the pot. Heat the water to a simmer, and once at simmer, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour.

Long Soak: Put legumes in bowl with a cover. Add enough cool water to cover legumes and 2 additional inches of bowl. Cover, and soak for 4 hours to overnight.

There is some controversy over whether or not to use the soaking water for the beans as at least a portion of the cooking liquid. On one hand, during the soaking process, flavor, color, and some nutrient leech into said water, and using the cooking liquid retains those. However, soaking beans also causes oligosaccharides (the indigestible sugars in beans that make you fart) to leech into the water. Retaining the cooking liquid increases the likelihood of those olfactory consequences. In the end, however, it is a matter of your particular preference, and, well, constitution.

You want to cook legumes until completely tender and creamy, and can be easily mashed with a fork. Seasoning legumes should be done at the end of cooking (after draining).

You can cook legumes in water, or stock/broth for extra flavor. After bringing beans and liquid to a boil, the beans should be cooked covered, and should be covered in liquid at all times. Individual cooking times vary from bean to bean, and even stove to stove. Excess liquid at the end of cooking can be discarded, or used in a sauce/as a broth.

Special Note: If you plan on eating your grains at room temperature or cold, be sure to elongate the cooking time to make them softer.

Cooking Gluten Free Grains
There are a lot of different grains out there – some are common, some not so much. For the purposes of this particular piece, I am going to stick with tips and tricks for cooking gluten-free grains (since my house is gluten-free).

Each different cereal (which is the technical term for a processed – that is to say milled – grain) varies in texture, based on not only the grain itself, but the particular grind of said grain. If the grain is coarse, the cooked grain will be dense and porridge-like. If the grain is fine, the cooked result will be smooth/silky, and resemble pudding.

Grains/Cereals can be cooked in both water and stock/broth (and other liquids), and aromatic vegetables and seasonings can, much like they can in stock, also be added to enhance flavor during the cooking process. Some grains will only require the amount of liquid that they need to absorb to cook, others will need to be cooked in a greater amount of liquid, to avoid clumping. Your best guide will be the instructions on the individual package. The pot used to cook grains should have a heavy bottom to avoid burning the bottom layer during a potentially long cooking process. It is important to add salt to the cooking liquid before cooking, and then adjust seasoning at the end to taste – though, it should be said that for the best grains, you want a lot of salt – probably more than you think – the water should taste just a little salty. Grains should be cooked until tender, but not mushy – it should have some bite (al dente).

Below is a table with the most common gluten-free grains(ish) used in cooking, with some details on their uses and flavors:

Both grains and legumes provide needed texture and flavor to a dish, as well as nutrients, fiber, and necessary carbohydrates. They are each mild in flavor, and can easily be experimented with to change up your meals and provide a different and new eating experience.