On Sun, 06 Oct 2019 05:30:15 -0400, Gary > wrote:

" wrote:
>>
>> Gary wrote:
>> > Dinner last night was beef vegetable soup with a good handful
>> > of barley tossed in. Once cooked, broth was thickened a bit
>> > with cornstarch. Good one.
>> >
>> Why did you feel the need to add cornstarch to thicken the soup? The barley,
>> if not rinsed, will do that as it cooks.
>
> <sigh>

Barley will thicken rinsed or not, althrough all packages of barley
I've seen say to inspect for foreign matter and to rinse off the
schmutz... and that's just common sense. That said I never have added
any thickener to barley soup, it automatically thickens as a matter of
course as it cooks... I prefer barley soup to cook till it becomes
somewhat creamy. I've never cooked barley just to eat plain barley.
Barley cooked on it's own hasn't much flavor anyway. I typically
prepare beef barley 'shroom soup. I don't think barley goes well in
chicken soup.