How long should pearl barley be boiled for?
Different recipes that involve boiling pearl barley recommend boiling pearl barley for different periods of time. How long should pearl barley be boiled for, and why do different packets of pearl barley recommend different cooking times?
Best Answer
It's hard to give a universal answer to questions like this. But, two reputable sources, The Kitchn and Serious Eats each have the same recommendation of 30 minutes.
The article from The Kitchn discussed Hulled Barley (has the bran left on) taking longer to cook than Pearl Barley, which may be why the packages you are seeing have different times.
I see two other possibilities for differing cooking times:
- Target market of that brand. For example, a more upscale brand targeting a more "refined" palette may recommend lower cooking times, as these folks will be more accepting of the tender chewiness of properly cooked barley. On the other hand, cheaper brands are likely targeting lay-folk, and let's face it, people without culinary experience might prefer a more done barley.
- There could just be some slight variations in types of barley, where it's grown, etc that impact cooking time. This one is difficult to rule out, and leads me to recommending experimentation! Cook a few different batches to different levels of doneness, and see which you prefer.
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How do you know when pearl barley is cooked?
Cook pearl barley for approximately 35 minutes, and pot barley for about 50 minutes. Barley is done when the grain has absorbed all or almost all the water, expanded in size, and is soft but chewy. When barley is cooked, you might still have a small amount of liquid left at the bottom of the saucepan.Do you soak pearl barley before cooking?
Pearl barley does not need to be soaked before use and will become tender during the cooking process. Pot barley is best when soaked overnight in cold water, then cooked in three parts liquid to one quantity of grain.Why does pearl barley take so long to cook?
Pearl barley has been polished to remove the bran and possibly even the endosperm layers, resulting in a pale, creamy-colored grain. It is less chewy and cooks faster than the hulled variety, but has less fiber, is less nutritious, and is not considered a whole grain.How long does pearl barley take to cook in a stew?
Pearl barley is chewy and nutritious, and takes about an hour or so to fully cook. My recipe instructs you to add it after browning the beef, which will give you a very soft barley because it cooks for 6 hours.How to Boil Pearl Barley
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