Sato asked:
I checked your chart for cooking grains and you mentioned an option for soaking grains overnight. I did recently buy some millet and am wondering how to soak it overnight. Do I soak it in the water called for in the recipe and cook it in the soak water? Or do I drain it and add a smaller amount of fresh water/liquid when cooking the millet?
That is a very good question! I have explored both of these options. I have concluded that, at least in this scenario, the easier option is preferable.
Soak any grain in the proper amount of cooking water. Once the 8 hour or overnight soaking time has passed, transfer the soaking water and soaked grains to the stovetop (or crockpot) for cooking.
There are occasions when you might choose the second option: soaking the grains, draining them, rinsing them, and then adding fresh water for cooking. You would choose this when just the right amount of water is not critical for your finished dish. For instance, if you’re adding the grain to a soup, you can be virtually certain that there is plenty of water to cook the grains fully.
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Thanks, Wardee! That helps a lot and drastically cuts down on my confusion. 🙂 Right now I’m cooking a five-grain porridge that I soaked overnight and. after adding the appropriate amount of water called for in the recipe, it’s looking a bit watery. Maybe I’ll use less water next time.
I also bought some raw milk this morning and plan to let it sit out to make my first batch of cream cheese and whey. This is so exciting!
Thanks again — you’re a gem!
Sato
That is exciting! I soak my porridges overnight quite frequently, but they don’t end up watery. So probably the recipe creator was after a more watery cereal. I have noticed that there are many different thickness preferences among porridge-eaters!
Have fun with the cheese and whey! I have been seriously contemplating getting raw milk regularly so I can do more cheeses. I would love to hear about your experiences.
Will do. I’m planning on using the whey for cooking and fermenting, etc.
I read your tutorial on making cheese. After I’m a LOT more comfortable with this new way of preparing food, I want to try it. Your directions make it seem do-able and not intimidating at all!
Take care, and thanks again!
Sato
Wardah,
I am the lady from Lebanon who wrote a couple of weeks ago. I can’t comment on how my sprouting is going yet because I delayed in getting my order to Azure in, but next month I will be starting that project.
I just have to comment to anyone out there making cream cheese from raw milk, that using a batch of raw buttermilk makes the best cream cheese. It smells exactly like store bought and tastes maybe a bit milder. I have tried many different ways of doing this as up until recently we were a raw milk dairy. Boy do I miss my raw milk. Hope this is helpful to someone.
Alicia
Alicia, hello! Thank you for sharing that tip! I would like to post it as a weekly kitchen tip. Please let me know if that is not allright with you.
Hi Wardee,
Do you know what the technique is for this? Is it just straining the buttermilk until you get cream cheese consistency? Or do you add culture and cook it at all?
I’m excited to find out because when I make the whey/curds that everyone else is calling cream cheese ala NT it’s nothing like what you get in the store, it’s sour.
Warmly,
Annette
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Annette, I am usually guilty of making assumptions, and this is no different. I assume that she’s allowing the whey to drip out of the buttermilk. I will email her to see if this right. I know you asked this once before, so I hope we can get Alicia to fill us in!