Canned Versus Dried Chickpeas for Hummus
Time to address the chickpeas. I started by tackling the obvious first question: Are dried chickpeas really better than canned?
A couple of quick blind tastings gave me an answer. The bland, tinny flavor of canned chickpeas can’t compare to the full flavor of chickpeas that are cooked from dry before blending. But carefully rinsing canned chickpeas to remove excess liquid (it’s the liquid that’s the biggest culprit in that canned flavor), then simmering them for about an hour in fresh water with some aromatics, can work wonders, so, in a pinch, there are ways to make canned chickpeas better.
To cook my chickpeas, I tried a few methods, including soaking versus not (soaking overnight is a good idea if you remember to do it, but you can cook un-soaked dried chickpeas without a problem if you’re willing to simmer them for an extra hour or so); adding baking soda to the soaking and cooking water (this raises the pH, which helps the chickpeas break down and soften more easily); and cooking them on the stovetop versus in the >pressure cooker (the latter is great for speed-cooking, but it will also deepen the color a little, giving you a darker hummus).
