Jean in Newcastle Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I am supposed to make a cooked barley cereal for breakfast (for this allergy diet I'm on)- sort of like oatmeal but with barley instead. Anyway, it says to use a double-boiler. To put water in the TOP of the double boiler and get it boiling - then put the barley in there. Then you put the top of the double boiler on top of another pan (ie the BOTTOM of the double boiler!) with water boiling in that too. Why can't I just boil some water in one pan on the stove?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mx5 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Could you skip all the double boiler stuff and just microwave it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DIY-DY Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I...um... no, that makes no sense to me. I don't think I've ever cooked barley in a double boiler - not even the "right" way. LOL! Perhaps the directions were farmed out to someone who hasn't ever used (or seen) a double boiler??? I don't know! Good luck, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 What they mean is to put the barley in the top once the water it will be cooked is hot. I use a kettle and put boiling hot....faster than waiting for a double boiler to warm up water! I love dbl boilers. Scotch oats are wonderful that way....very very little stirring. My mother, somewhere in her late 70's confided to me that she was in heaven. What did she mean, I asked. "TWO double boilers" was her reply. She used them for reheating instead of microwaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I use the double boiler whenever something has to cook for a long time and might burn. If you are using a barley cereal that will thicken and scorch before it has cooked long enough, then you need the double boiler. I would bring the water in the bottom of the pan to a boil. At the same time I would put the top of the double boiler onto another burner and bring that water to a boil. When the top pan's water is boiling, I would add the barley cereal, bring that pot back to a boil, and then nestle it into the bottom pan and put the lid on it. This speeds up the process of getting it all warm--which is the biggest problem double boilers have. HOWEVER, if you are simply using whole barley in place of cereal, I would not double boil it. I'd put it into a pot just like rice and cook it over the stove. I make barley for cereal all the time, and I never use the double boiler! HTH-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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