How to Cook With Whole Grains

You heard the message: eat more whole grains. Grains in their whole, natural form reduce the risk of heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes. After finding whole grains at the grocery, your next challenge is cooking whole grains, which is different from using their processed counterparts. Follow these steps to cook delicious meals with whole grains.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Bake with a mix of white flour and whole wheat flour at the beginning. When you're used to the white flour taste of cookies and pancakes, whole wheat can be a difficult taste to get used to. Start with 50/50. Once everyone in the family is used to the mix, increase the amount of whole wheat flour or add a different type of whole-grain flour.
2. Add oats to recipes calling for bread cubes or cracker crumbs. Meatloaf, for example, tastes delicious with oatmeal.
3. Cook grain by placing it in a pot and adding water or broth. Bring to a boil, and then add a lid and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Add water as needed if grain is not tender enough. Whole grains take longer to cook.
4. Soak hard grains like barley or wheat berries in water for a few hours or even overnight to reduce cooking time. You can also partially cook whole grains, including brown rice, and then freeze. When ready, throw into boiling water or broth to thaw and complete cooking at the same time.
5. Sneak cooked whole grains into your family staples. Add barley, wild rice or sorghum to soups. Add bulgur to stuffing or potatoes.
6. Prepare a whole grain salad with the Middle Eastern grain known as tabouli.
7. Try kasha cereals. Kasha is a type of porridge that originates from Eastern Europe.

Tips & Warnings

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 3 servings of whole grain products daily.
• Increasing numbers of food products now use a black and gold Whole Grain Stamp to identify the product as a whole grain. Not all products use the stamp. If there is no stamp, look on the ingredients list. The words "whole" with the name of a grain should be the first or second ingredient. Pass if "white flour" or "enriched flour" is the first or second ingredient.