Farro

Check the bag before you buy: pearled farro cooks in 20–25 minutes with no soak, semi-pearled takes closer to 25–30, and whole farro needs an overnight soak plus 35–45 minutes on the stove. Semi-pearled is the sweet spot for me, faster than whole but with more fiber than pearled. Most Italian imports are semi-pearled even when the label does not say so. Farro is wheat, so it is not gluten free. Store dry farro airtight in the pantry and spread cooked farro on a sheet pan to cool before storing. It keeps 5 days in the fridge and freezes well for grain bowls.

Farro is the hardest grain to mess up: it stays chewy and nutty even if you forget it on the stove for an extra 10 minutes. The pasta method is the move for beginners. Boil it in plenty of salted water, start tasting at 20 minutes, and drain when it is tender with a little chew. Before the water goes in, toast the dry grains in the empty pot for 3 minutes until they smell nutty because it adds real flavor for zero extra time.