Emmer Preparation

Q  Can you prepare farro in either a rice cooker or a crock pot?

A:  I have had a few customers tell me that it cooks fine in a Rice Cooker.  I personally have not done this. I am not sure what the ratio would be but I would treat it similar to wild rice.  I do cook emmer in pressure cooker- If you are just cooking emmer alone I would just put it in a bunch of water or stock with a pinch of salt and drain after 15 minutes of cooking.  I also make soups in the crock pot using Emmer.

Q:  I just bought some cracked emmer on your website to use as a hot cereal, and I was just wondering if you had any advice or suggestions as to how to cook it.  Is it necessary to soak it before cooking to shorten cooking time and/or improve digestibility, or can it just be cooked immediately before serving, as one would do with cracked wheat or oatmeal?

A:  There are cooking instructions on the back of the package.  Cracked Emmer cooks in about 12-15 minutes.  It is not necessary to soak before cooking, but you can and it will shorten the cooking time.  I have a few customers who like to soak it in milk overnight, and then heat it up in the morning. It should be served immediately after cooking. 

We like to put shredded coconut, fruit and yogurt on our cooked emmer.  Our kids love it- it is kind of like a healthier version of cream of wheat!    .

Q:  Can you grind emmer berries in a coffee grinder? 

A:  We would not recommend it.