How to cook barley correctly

How to prepare barley

Go through the cereals and remove the debris. Then rinse it thoroughly. You can do this in a sieve under running water. Or, rinse the barley in a bowl, changing the water several times. The cereal liquid should become clear.

How to cook barley: Rinse the cereals thoroughly

As a rule, barley is pre-soaked. This makes it cook faster. And some also believe that soaked cereals boil better and turn out tastier.

Place the pearl barley in a large container and cover completely with cold water. The level should be several centimeters higher than the cereal. Leave it on for 2-3 hours, preferably overnight. Then drain the water and rinse the beans again.

If you don't have time to soak, you can do without it. In this case, you will have to cook the barley longer.

How much water to take

If you cook barley in a saucepan or slow cooker, then 1 glass of cereal will need 3 glasses of water.

For cooking in the microwave for 1 cup of grains, you need to take 1, 5–2 cups of liquid.

You can salt the barley at the beginning or in the middle of cooking.

Please note that barley increases in volume several times during cooking. Therefore, choose the right size cookware.

How much to cook barley

The following is the approximate time it takes for the cereal to become soft, but remain quite firm. At the end of cooking, just taste the beans. You may want to make the barley more boiled.

How to cook barley in a saucepan

Place the cereals in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Put on high heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the flame to moderate and cover the pan with a lid. The water should boil slightly.

The soaked cereal will cook in about 40 minutes. Barley without soaking will be ready in at least 1 hour.

How to cook barley in a saucepan: Check for water in the pan

Check for water in the pot. If the liquid evaporates quickly, reduce the heat slightly and add a little boiling water.

How to cook barley in a slow cooker

Place the barley in a multicooker bowl and cover with cold water. Cook cereals in the "Porridge", "Buckwheat" or "Rice" mode.

It takes 1 hour to cook the soaked cereal. If the barley was not soaked, it needs to be cooked for about 1.5 hours.

How to cook barley in the microwave

Place the cereals in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with hot water. Cook the soaked cereals at full power for about 20 minutes, and the unsoaked cereals for 30-40 minutes.

Stir several times in the process and add boiling water if necessary. Cover the finished barley with a lid and send it to the microwave for 10 minutes to infuse.