— Cynthia Dudak

Regarding grains, um, generally speaking, if we're talking about whole grains, uh, it is helpful to soak them. Um, it just, um, you know, it, it, uh, speeds up the water absorption process, uh, a little bit. Um, and it does so in a gentle manner. And, uh, you know, grains, uh, as well as legumes, um, you know, can be soaked for a pretty long period of time. Um, you know, many recipes will say, uh, soaked for a few hours or a soak, uh, overnight. Um, but if it turns out that you can't get to your grains for another 3, 4, 5, 6 days, that's fine. Um, just put 'em in the fridge and, um, you know, after, uh, a couple of days, uh, anyway, uh, certainly, uh, refresh the water each day, uh, that's very helpful in extending the shelf life, okay? Um, you know, otherwise, you know, follow the guidelines of whatever it is that you're making. Okay? Um, you know, in some cases, uh, you know, uh, a a soak may not be recommended depending on what it is that you're making. It can affect the texture. If you want a firmer texture, uh, maybe you just throw it in the pod and you start your simine process. Um, some of this is also culturally mitigated, um, where in certain parts of the world, grains are handled in a certain way, but in other regions, they're handled differently. Um, so keep an open mind, um, in the world of cooking there, uh, often is more than one way to do it, right? Um, and, you know, much of that, um, uh, you know, can be accessed through your own experimentation. Um, and, and, uh, as well as of course, you know, reading, um, books and information that has, uh, already been published on the topic, but, but don't be afraid to then make changes yourself, right? As I mentioned early on in today's program, you know, after you make a recipe, you know, let's say a couple of times, uh, then it is yours. I mean, you had the experience to tinker with it. Uh, and feel free to do so. Um, whether it's the through, um, ingredients or through the cooking time or temperature or volume of liquid, um, you know, whatever it is that you want to tinker with, um, let your curiosity guide you. Uh, and you'll come up with some very interesting results, um, that can be applied in different scenarios, okay? And, uh, that certainly holds true, uh, with whole grains. All right?