Why You Should Only Be Cooking With Dried Chickpeas Over Canned

Chickpeas are a surprisingly versatile ingredient. They can be transformed into all manner of special dishes, such as falafel or hummus, they can be fried, roasted or otherwise cooked whole as their own side, or they can simply be tossed into soups and salads. Heck, you can even transform them into a mostly neutrally flavored gluten-free pasta.

But there is one question we didn't have an answer for: Are the canned chickpea brands worth buying just as good as dried for all these crave-worthy recipes? To get an answer, we spoke with Jilbert El-Zmetr, the chef and founder of Laziza in Brooklyn, N.Y., who gave us exclusive guidance in three parts.

Right off the bat El-Zmetr targeted quality, saying "you can never compare canned goods and freshly made beans. Canned chickpeas are fine to use, but they just don't taste as good." Speaking further on the taste, he noted that canned goods in general are "preserved in a lot of salt, which takes away from the natural flavor of [chickpeas]." There's some good news on the texture front though, since he thinks there isn't much of a difference. If you're still uncertain if you want to use dried or canned chickpeas, here's a golden suggestion from El-Zmetr: "if you're going to do it, do it right!"

But, what exactly is the right way to cook with dried chickpeas? Answer: It starts with a nice long soak. Of course, depending on the recipe or cooking method you may not technically need to do this, such as if you're throwing them into soup where they'll soften eventually. Still, soaking them anyway is recommended since it helps them cook more quickly.

If you are going to soak them, you need to plan ahead. Jilbert El-Zmetr told us that between eight and ten hours of soaking is generally enough, though he also said that "if you are short on time, [you can] soak a larger batch and store them in the fridge for up to a week." As to how to soak them, El-Zmetr says to "cover them with double the amount of water as they will double in size as they draw in the water." 

El-Zmetr also says to "mix a little baking soda into the water to help soften the skins before they get boiled the next day." (Though this isn't necessary if you don't have any baking soda on hand.) You might want to secure some, though, especially if you want to make the smoothest hummus. As one final word of warning, El-Zmetr told us the two biggest mistakes you can make when cooking dried chickpeas: Not soaking them for long enough, or not cooking them for long enough.