How much should I cook?

1 cup dry barley yields 3 to 3 1/2 cups cooked

How do I store cooked barley?

Cooked barley can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. Barley can also be stored in the freezer for several months. Freeze barley in an airtight freezer bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible from the bag. To defrost, place frozen barley in the refrigerator overnight.

How do I keep barley from getting too soft?

First, don't overcook it. But after it's been cooked, barley can get mushy if it sits in water. Drain excess water immediately. Lastly, warm barley piled in a bowl will continue soften because of the residual heat. It's best to cool the grain by spreading it out on a plate or sheet tray and cooling it quickly in the refrigerator.

How do I know if I bought pearled or hulled barley?

Most barley sold in US supermarkets is pearled barley. If it's hulled barley, the package should say so. Also, pearled barley usually has a lighter color than hulled barley.

How to Cook Barley

Name: How to Cook Pearl Barley (Instant Pot and Stovetop)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup pearl barley; 4 cups water; 1/4 teaspoon salt

How to Cook Pearl Barley (Instant Pot and Stovetop)

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Barley is a healthy, high fiber grain with a chewy texture and mild, nutty flavor. Learn how to cook barley using a stovetop or Instant Pot and use it to make salads, side dishes, soup and stew.

This recipe is for Pearl barley. Hulled barley needs a longer cooking time.

Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 15 minutes cooking time + 5 minute natural release

Author: Jenny Meier | Kitchen Skip blog
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 cups barley 1x
Category: Side Dishes
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

Instant Pot (pressure cooker) or Stovetop

1 cup pearl barley
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

Instant Pot

Briefly rinse the barley under running water.
Combine pearl barley, water and salt in the Instant Pot. Seal the lid and make sure the steam valve is in the sealed position.
Press the Manual button and program the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
After the cooking time is done, wait 5 minutes to release the pressure.
Immediately drain the barley in a colander. Shake well to remove all liquid. Don't let the cooked barley sit in the extra water, or it will continue to absorb the water and get mushy.

Stovetop

Briefly rinse the barley under running water.
Combine the pearl barley, water and salt in a pot on the stove.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer the barley, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, or longer if needed, until it's tender but still chewy. If for some reason the pot seems low on water, just add more.
Drain excess water immediately.

Notes

Hulled Barley: Hulled barley can take twice as long to cook as pearled barley. In a pressure cooker, hulled barley can take 25 to 30 minutes to cook. On the stovetop, it might take 40 minutes or more.

Instant Pot water ratio and cooking times: I cook barley using a "pasta method" which means using more water and a slightly shorter cooking time. I like this method because you never have to worry about the barley absorbing all of the liquid and sticking to the pot. Simply drain off the excess water when the barley is done cooking.

Find it online: https://www.kitchenskip.com/how-to-cook-barley/