We now see many types on the supermarket shelves or in the organic shops: cereals represent an important basis for daily nutrition, they provide the right energy to better face the day and, even more so, the integral ones, are an indispensable source of fibers.
Often, however, one is discouraged a little in the face of the habit of cooking them, given that perhaps one is used to preparing dishes based on pasta or rice, and further on one rarely goes.
But millet, oats, wheat, spelled, barley are just there waiting to be dipped in the pot and transformed into salads, soups, orzotti and imaginative and rich dishes: make eye, learn to dose them, regulate and make their own times and ways cooking, putting them in your weekly diet program, is not that difficult and is highly healthy.
Here are practical instructions to juggle the times and ways of cooking the most used cereals, meaning here to cook the common boiling in cold or already warm water, and for cereals the whole ones, with full grain, not broken up, crushed or blown.
Cooking tips for the most common cereals
Oats : soaking is optional, the oats are placed in the pot with cold water and cooking times are around 50 minutes. Excellent for nutritious soups.
Spelled : we usually recommend a soaking time of about 6 hours for the peeled one, while the pearl one does not require soaking. Generally it is put in the pot when the water boils, the pearl in about 40 minutes is ready, for the decorticated they need ten more. It is suitable for recipes such as farrotto or delicious Tuscan vegetable soups.
Durum wheat : it is used after a soak of about 8 hours, it is cooked putting it directly in cold water for about an hour; for such long times it is generally preferred to use the pressure cooker, which halves them. Salads and soups: the most suitable dishes.
Buckwheat : the buckwheat does not need to be soaked and cooks in about 20 minutes, put directly into boiling water. Good for soups, wheat risottos, salads.
Buckwheat: cover all the properties and benefits
Kamut wheat : after soaking for one night, cook for about an hour, placing it in cold water. Excellent for warm salads and soups.
Millet : it is ready in 20 minutes at the most, placed in already warm water. It is used for tasty salads, but also as a base for meatballs and veg-burger.
Barley : like spelled, hulled barley needs a 12-hour soak and a cold cooking time of about 50 minutes; while pearl barley does not need soaking and is ready in 20/30 minutes. Fantastic for preparing the orzotto, it is also suitable for making vegetarian meatballs.
Rice : the common rice cooks, depending on the type, in less than twenty minutes; the brown rice does not need to be soaked and cooks in about 50 minutes, put in still cold water, as well as wild rice. Ideal for risottos, rice salads, casseroles and single dishes with dips, tofu and vegetables.
Rye : after six hours of soaking, cook it starting from cold water for about 40 minutes. Excellent for soups.
Some more suggestions on cooking cereals
The cereals are rinsed all over again in cold water; the use of a pressure cooker is possible and halves the cooking time; it is better to put the salt towards the end of cooking, so the cereals themselves absorb less and remain even softer; finally the fire should remain very low, so that all the water is well absorbed and the minerals of the cereals are kept intact.
Rice, like other cereals, can also be steam cooked, cook rice in the special electric steamer, following the recommended cooking times. Attention: not all are suitable for gluten intolerant!
