Guidelines for Making Grain and Legume Side Salads

Appears in

Published 2010

Cook grains and legumes for salads so they are tender, yet firm enough so as not to disintegrate when mixed with dressing. While overcooked grains and legumes have an unattractive appearance, undercooked grains are unpleasantly chewy, and al dente legumes are notoriously difficult to digest. While all have different cooking requirements, many grains and legumes rely on carryover cooking to further tenderize their interior starch without splitting or bursting their exterior surfaces. Before preparing a large batch of a particular grain or legume salad, try a smaller test batch to perfect your procedure.
Pre-dress grains and legumes before they harden in the refrigerator so they absorb flavorful liquids and don’t dry out the finished salad. (See safety sidebar.)

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