Should I soak pearl barley? How to cook pearl barley in water: step-by-step recipes with and without soaking

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Pearl barley is one of the most unusual, but very useful. Its use in nutrition is due to the presence of a large number of useful microelements and vitamins necessary for the proper functioning of the body.

Among the most significant and valuable are:

vitamin B6;
potassium;
magnesium;
selenium;
phosphorus;
fiber;
amino acid lysine.

Due to its high nutritional properties, pearl barley is used both for everyday and dietary nutrition, as it can reduce appetite. Its use starts the process of collagen formation, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair. Boiled pearl barley will help in the following cases:

when you need to reduce or stabilize weight;
improve stomach function and reduce the load on the gastrointestinal tract;
get rid of the problem of constipation;
prevent fungal diseases;
remove toxins and harmful substances accumulated in the body.

Pearl barley also strengthens the immune system, which is why it is used to fight or prevent colds. That is why the ability to cook this product is an important skill that every housewife should have.

Basic Rules

In order to properly cook pearl barley, you need to take into account several rules. Important conditions for success are to take into account that the cereal is cooked for a long time, the cooking process varies slightly depending on what kind of dish you plan to prepare. You should also take into account your own wishes, since indicators such as friability or viscosity of the finished product depend on this.

If you need to prepare a crumbly version, then cooking will be done as follows:

You will need to take 1 cup of pearl barley and 2.5 cups of water;
Place on medium heat;

Cooking time - 60 minutes.

Calorie content (100 g of pearl barley porridge) – 109 kcal.

To prepare porridge with a viscous consistency, you need to take 200 g of cereal and 1 liter of water. Cooking time increases to 90 minutes. A feature that can change the cooking time is the selected cookware. If it has a thick bottom, it will take more time. You can reduce it by pre-soaking the cereal in water (20-30 minutes before the main cooking).

How long does barley cook without soaking?

If you don’t have time to soak pearl barley, then the optimal cooking time is on average 75 minutes. It is difficult to calculate it accurately, since this indicator can be influenced by the type of cereal, its age and size, and the selected dishes.

Determining the readiness of the cereal is easy - the grains should be swollen, increased in volume, soft, but not boiled. The cooking method will be as follows:

Pearl barley must be sorted before cooking, then rinsed well 1-2 times;
Pour water (2-3 glasses) into a container and place on medium heat;
Wait until the water boils, then add 200-250 g of pearl barley;
Boil the contents of the container over high heat for no more than 3 minutes;
Remove from the stove, drain the existing liquid, add clean water in the same amount (2-3 cups);
Wait for the water to boil, reduce heat to medium, cook until tender (50 minutes).

After cooking, cover the container with a lid, adding oil if desired. Leave to steep for another 10 minutes before serving.

How long does it take to cook cereal with soaking?

In order to cook pearl barley until fully cooked with soaking, it will take about 50 minutes. Sometimes (if the grains are large or a container with a thick bottom is used) the time can be increased to 60-65 minutes.

The cooking process is practically no different from that without soaking, except that the cereal is exposed to water before the first heat treatment.

How long does barley cook in soup and pickle?

Pearl barley is often used to prepare first courses - various soups, including rassolnik. It is important to remember here that for proper preparation you need to take into account what kind of soup you are planning to cook, since the cooking time for barley directly depends on this.

So, in a regular soup, the cereal will need to be cooked for at least 1 hour (as for porridge). It must be remembered that for first courses, the process of pre-soaking barley is necessary. It takes 2-3 hours.

How to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker, double boiler, microwave and thermos

For a modern housewife, many cooking concerns can be solved with technical devices such as a microwave oven, a multicooker or a double boiler. It is convenient to cook pearl barley in them. A thermos can be used for the same purpose. The cooking process will look like this:

In a multicooker - pour the cereal into a bowl, add water, salt (ratio 1:2), put on the “Cooking” or “Cereals” program for 50-70 minutes;
In a double boiler - in a ratio of 1:2, the cooking process continues 2 times for 30 minutes (it is recommended to soak the cereal first, leaving it for 10 hours);
In the microwave - use soaked cereal for this purpose (it should swell for 2-3 hours), then the power is set in a 1:2 ratio to 400 W, the time will take 20 minutes;
In a thermos - hot water is used for this purpose. It is important to remember that the amount of cereal should be equal to 1/3 of the capacity of the existing vessel, then the cooking process will be of high quality. The time it will take to do this is 1 hour.

It is important to remember that cooking times may vary, so it is important to regularly check the grains for doneness.

In order for the pearl barley to be tasty and soft, it is recommended to pre-rinse it several times.

It is best to use warm water for soaking, then the process can be reduced to 1-2 hours.

Pearl barley is one of the most unusual in taste, appearance and conditions for preparing porridge. At the same time, it is one of the most useful, benefiting the body. In order to prepare the most delicious dishes based on it, it is important to know how long to cook pearl barley without soaking, and how to prepare it before heat treatment.

Cereals are actively used in therapeutic or preventive nutrition and are included in diets. This is due to the fact that grains contain a large number of various useful substances - vitamins and microelements - which are required for the full and uninterrupted functioning of the body. Among the most significant for a person and valuable in general note:

B vitamins (the largest amount of B6);
potassium;
magnesium;
selenium;
phosphorus;
fiber (good for the gastrointestinal tract);
lysine (basic amino acid).

That is why pearl barley is one of the most popular cereals in cooking. It can be cooked in a pressure cooker or a regular saucepan, and even. It is also recommended to cook pearl barley in bags - this will reduce the cooking time and allow you to get a ready-to-eat product.

Due to its high nutritional properties, pearl barley is used both for everyday nutrition, including for children, and for dietary (therapeutic and restorative) nutrition, since it can reduce appetite without harm to the body.

An additional useful quality of cereal is that it starts the process of producing the natural biological substance collagen. It is necessary to normalize the condition of hair, nails and skin in general.

The benefits of boiled pearl barley are difficult to overestimate.

It is necessary to include porridge and other dishes with this product in your diet. in the following cases:

when it is necessary to reduce or stabilize weight and body weight in general (it is better to use boiled porridge);
improve and normalize stomach function;
reduce the overall load on the gastrointestinal tract and its individual organs;
get rid of constipation (it is recommended to cook pearl barley in water without soaking);
carry out prevention of specific diseases of fungal origin;
pearl barley helps remove toxins and other harmful substances accumulated in the body from the body.

Pearl barley also actively strengthens the immune system, which is why it is used to fight or prevent various colds - acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections and even influenza.

That is why the ability to cook pearl barley as a side dish is an important skill that every housewife should have: beginner or experienced.

Cereals can be cooked in several ways - with soaking, after soaking with two cookings, without soaking. You need to know well the basic rules for cooking pearl barley for a side dish or soups. The basic rules for cooking pearl barley are to observe the proportions and time, taking into account the dish that should be obtained in the end.

Important conditions for culinary success are to take into account that pearl barley, unlike most other similar products, is cooked for a long time - at least 50 minutes.

In this case, the cooking process changes slightly depending on what kind of dish is planned - soup, porridge or side dish.

Also, when asking the question of how long pearl barley is cooked, you should take into account your own wishes, since this determines indicators such as friability (porridge or side dish), viscosity of the finished product, which can be achieved due to the higher liquid content.

crumbly porridge

In the event that you need to prepare a crumbly version, which will later be used to prepare other dishes or become a side dish, then cooking will be carried out in the following way.

You will need to take 1 glass of pearl barley (about 200-250 g) and 2.5 glasses of water (about 350 ml of liquid).
Place in a cooking container over medium heat, add the cereal.

The cooking time in this case will be 60 minutes (no longer required to cook).

The calorie content of the dish per classic serving of 100 g of pearl barley porridge will be equal to 108 kcal. In this case, pearl barley turns out crumbly.

Sticky porridge

To prepare porridge with a viscous consistency, you need to take, respectively, 1 glass of cereal (200 g) and 1 liter of water. Cooking time increases in this recipe to 90 minutes. A feature that can change the cooking time is the pan chosen for cooking the dish. If it has a thick bottom, it will take more time than in the case of dishes with a thin bottom or walls.

Reduced cooking time

You can reduce the time it takes to prepare the product by pre-soaking the cereal in water at least 20-30 minutes before the main cooking. But it is recommended to leave it overnight so that the grains are well saturated with liquid and swollen. For pickle, they use already cooked pearl barley, so its preparation time in this case is reduced to 10 minutes.

For a modern housewife or an avid fisherman who takes pearl barley when going fishing (for example, crucian carp), technical developments and devices, including a microwave oven, pressure cooker or double boiler, help solve many of the problems associated with preparing this type of food. It is convenient to cook pearl barley in them. A thermos can be used for the same purpose.

Cooking process will look like this.

In the Redmond slow cooker– pour the cereal into the bowl, add water, salt (ratio 1:2), put it on the “cooking” or “cereals” program for 50-70 minutes.
In a steamer– in a ratio of 1:2, the cooking process includes 2 times for 30 minutes (it is recommended to soak the cereal first, leaving it for 10 hours).
IN– use pre-soaked cereal for this purpose (it should swell for 2-3 hours), then mix it with water in a ratio of 1:2, set the power to 400 W. It will take 20 minutes.
Barley in a thermos– exclusively hot water (boiling water) is used for this purpose. It is important to remember that the amount of cereal should be no more than 1/3 of the total capacity of the existing vessel, then the cooking process will be of high quality. The time it takes to prepare is 1 hour.

It is important to remember that cooking times may vary. The heating intensity provided by the device can affect this, so it is necessary to regularly check the cereal for readiness.

How to cook pearl barley correctly? They cook pearl barley by soaking the grain quickly, or they cook pearl barley in water for a long time without pre-soaking. The barley is washed, filled with water, the pan with the contents is placed on the stove and the porridge is cooked for hours without soaking. With soaking, pearl barley cooks quickly in water and turns out crumbly.

It will not be possible to cook pearl barley quickly without soaking, and if you shorten the boiling time, the barley will be hard and undercooked. Pearl barley, as you know, takes a long time to boil and requires a long time to cook.

How and how much to cook pearl barley in bags

The simplest way to prepare pearl barley is to use it in bags: you throw the bag of barley into boiling water and wait for as long as it cooks, as indicated in the instructions on the package of pearl barley. The approximate time for pearl barley porridge to be ready after boiling water is 45 minutes.

How to cook pearl barley as a side dish for soup? How to cook pearl barley for fishing? Knowing the proportions of water and cereal, it is easier to cook crumbly porridge, but in addition to the proportions, you should know the cooking time in order to get crumbly soft porridge for or almost cooked pearl barley for fishing, or soup.

Advice from the Wonder Chef. In terms of time, pearl barley is boiled in water from 50 minutes to 2 hours; the cooking time depends on the type of cereal and the freshness of the grains. To cook pearl barley correctly, you need to look at the date on the package and choose the freshest barley.

They cook pearl barley in pots in the oven, microwave, cook it deliciously, in a double boiler, in a saucepan on the stove, in milk, and the simplest pearl barley porridge is in water. To cook pearl barley quickly, pour the grains with water, the soaking time is from 3 hours, for quick cooking the grains are soaked for 12 hours.

Ingredients for boiling pearl barley: proportions of water and cereal

pearl barley - 1 cup;
hot water - 3 glasses.

How to properly cook pearl barley in water in a saucepan

Before cooking, we sort out the cereal from debris, remove any foreign grains and stones.
If we cook pearl barley quickly, then fill the washed cereal with water so that the grains are completely submerged in water. During soaking, the grains swell and increase in size, so there should be a lot of water.
Leave the pearl barley filled with water for at least 3 hours to swell.
Drain the water and transfer the pearl barley into a saucepan. In order to properly cook pearl barley, pour boiling water over the barley.
The proportions of pearl barley and water are 1:3, that is, three glasses of hot water per glass of cereal.
Place the pan on the stove, cover with a lid, bring the contents to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
Remove the lid from the pan and cook the barley for 60 minutes, until all the water has evaporated from the pan.
Remove, salt and add butter or vegetable oil to taste.
Mix and serve the crumbly pearl barley as a standalone, as a side dish, or put pearl barley porridge without oil in it, add it at the end of cooking.

Barley porridge improves stomach function and has a gentle effect on the entire human gastrointestinal tract.

Pearl barley contains many useful components: iodine, calcium, iron, as well as vitamins for beauty, health and longevity.

Long cooking of barley is the only drawback of tasty and healthy barley porridge. But to speed up the preparation, cooks have found a simple home method - pre-soaking the pearl barley in water before boiling the barley.

For most of us, barley porridge does not evoke the most pleasant associations. For some, this is bland, dry and, often, undercooked hospital food. For others, it’s a hateful slushy mess that was fed to them every day and every other day in kindergarten. Meanwhile, pearl barley can be cooked deliciously! And it’s quite simple and relatively quick to do. The main thing is to know a couple of secrets, thanks to which you will end up with such a mess that you won’t be able to pull it off by the ears! And all you need is cereal, water for cooking and a little salt.

Below I will tell you in detail how to cook pearl barley in water quickly and easily. This can be done in two ways: with or without pre-soaking the cereal. Each has its pros and cons, but no matter which option you choose, I guarantee you an excellent result!

Ingredients:

pearl barley – 1 tbsp.,
water – 2-3 tbsp. (depending on the desired consistency of the finished porridge),
salt - approximately 2/3 tbsp. l.

1. How to quickly cook pearl barley in water with pre-soaking

This method is convenient because after soaking, the cereal swells so much that to bring it to readiness, it only needs to simmer for about 30 minutes.

First of all, thoroughly wash the pearl barley under running cool water, making sure to rub the grains with your hands. Pour the washed cereal with cold water and leave until it swells for at least 5-6 hours, ideally overnight. You need to take a lot of water for soaking - about a liter per 1 tbsp. cereals

Afterwards, drain the water in which the pearl barley was soaked. We wash the cereal itself again and transfer it to a suitable saucepan.

Next, put the pan on the stove at maximum heat, pour boiling water over the barley (boil the kettle and, as the water boils, pour in the barley). To obtain dry and crumbly porridge, 2 tbsp will be enough. water. For more viscous porridge - at least 3. We take the same glass that we used to measure the cereal.

Fill with water and immediately close the lid. The water begins to gurgle within 30 seconds. Switch the heat of the stove to medium and cook the barley for 25 minutes. After the specified time, open the lid. The cereal on top has already completely absorbed the water; there is still some liquid left at the bottom of the pan. Add some salt to the barley, mix and close the lid again.

Cook the pearl barley for another 5 minutes, then turn off the stove without removing the pan from it. Let the porridge simmer and cook for another 10 minutes - and the pearl barley is ready! Then it can either be served or used to prepare other dishes (soups, salads, cutlets, etc.).

2. How to quickly cook pearl barley in water without soaking

This method is ideal for those who decide to cook pearl barley suddenly and simply don’t have time for soaking. You can also use it to prepare porridge of any viscosity. And the cooking time will average 40-50 minutes. Quite quickly, considering that we skip the multi-hour soaking step.

Just as in the previous method, we thoroughly wash the pearl barley.

Then we put it in a saucepan and fill it with cold water. The amount of water does not really matter, since after the first boil we will drain this water. I pour water over my eye so that the cereal is hidden by 1-2 cm.

Place the pan with the cereal on the stove, turning on maximum heat. Cover the saucepan with a lid.

Bring the cereal to a boil, boil for just a couple of minutes and drain the water. Place the cereal on a sieve. If, when boiling, the water tries to escape outside the pan, open the lid a little.

Return the pearl barley to the pan, fill it with cold water again, cover with a lid and bring to a boil on the stove at maximum heat. The amount of water to obtain crumbly porridge is 2.5 tbsp, for viscous porridge - at least 3.

As soon as the cereal boils again, reduce the heat on the stove to medium and simmer the porridge under the lid for 30 minutes. Then the scheme is the same as in the first method: open the lid, add some salt to the cereal, mix and return the lid to its place. Cook the porridge for another 10 minutes, turn off the stove and let the barley steam and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Ready! We add pearl barley to salads or soup, or serve it, flavored with meat gravy, a piece of butter and herbs, with fried vegetables - to your taste.

Bon appetit!

Ask a soldier or someone who has already served if he likes pearl barley. Most likely the answer will be “no”. And not because pearl barley porridge, without which army life is essential, is so tasteless (remember, there are huge queues for this “delicacy” in the parks during the celebration of February 23, Victory Day, Independence Day). It’s just that not every cook (or who calls himself one) cooks it correctly and tasty. Let's turn to a simple and accessible recipe for preparing delicious porridge and figure out how, after all, you need to cook pearl barley.

What will you need?

1 cup pearl barley.
2 liters of water.
A little salt.
Butter (for dressing).
Pot.

Regarding the latter, I would like to note that pearl barley tends to swell very much during cooking, so be sure to take this into account when choosing the volume of the pan.

A classic recipe for how to cook pearl barley.

Before cooking, the cereal must be soaked (it is better to leave the pearl barley in water overnight), and then rinse thoroughly. Then proceed according to the following step-by-step instructions.

Pour about a liter of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
Pour the soaked cereal into water and cook it for about 5 minutes with the lid open, this relates to the question of how long to cook barley.
Cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking for about another hour.
Soak the almost finished porridge in a water bath until fully cooked.
Add salt to taste.
Season the cooked pearl barley porridge with oil to taste.
Serve to the table.

Barley standing on the fire needs an “eye and an eye,” so stir it constantly, otherwise it will burn and/or “run away.”

How to cook pearl barley video

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