smooth hummus

[dharmama]

my kids were introducted to sabra hummus at coffee hour at our church and now i can't get them to eat any other hummus.

it's expensive and it also has preservatives in it so i'd prefer to make something at home.

does anyone have any ideas for making super silky smooth hummus?

thanks.

[beanma]

Do you make yours in a food processor? Maybe just add a tad more liquid (olive oil or water or bean juice from the can) and process longer. That tends to make it smoother and a little fluffier. That Sabra is yummy stuff. My MIL buys it when we see her.

[elleystar]

My last batch wasn't as smooth as some I'd made before either, and I couldn't figure out why right away. It's because I didn't simmer the garbanzos. If you slip the skins off the beans and then simmer them a few minutes, it should come out pretty nice. Like this recipe:
http://justinsomnia.org/2004/06/roasted-garlic-hummus/

[JElaineB]

Last time I made hummus it came out really smooth. I did it in the blender rather than the food processor and used a lot of liquid.

[zinemama]

In my experience a food processor is key. And plenty of olive oil. Just pour it in till it gets smooth enough for you.

[cristeen]

Peel the beans. As much of a PITA as it is, it can really make a textural difference. The hull is what prevents them from turning to mush as they're cooking, you take that off and they can just dissolve nicely.

[Liquesce]

Definitely never, ever make hummus without peeling the beans first. Crushing them prior to putting them in a food processor can help ... less chance of leaving a couple of chunks that escape the blades. Be generous with tahini and olive oil ... I mean obviously not so generous as to make it a greasy mess, but the oils definitely will help it go from being just mushed beans to being something silky. Some roasted garlic cloves can help with that too, if you like them.

Oh, and when dealing with adding tahina, we've always used the sauce you make out of it -- like what you get at mediterranean/middle eastern restaurants -- rather than using it straight. Put tahini in a bowl, add a little water, stir (it should thicken rather than thin and get light in color), and keep adding water a little at a time until it *does* just start to thin, then add lemon juice and salt both rather generously. I don't know if doing it that way imparts any particular benefit to the hummus, but it's just the way I learned.

[batsora]

adding a little bit of liquid to the tahini and blending before anything else to emulsify helps make a creamier smoother hummus. i tried popping the skins off and it is just too much work and i didnt find it was worth it since so many skins were still on and i sat there for at least a half hour trying to get the skins off using all the tips i found online. i have the same hummus problem with trader joes and costco hummus when it comes to my kids.

[dharmama]

thanks so much for all the replies. i hadn't thought about pulling the skins off the beans first.

i'm going to give it a whirl ( at my accidental hummus humor) this weekend and see what happens!

[jocelyndale]

I had to peel my beans until I bought a cuisinart. Now the skins are pulverised and we have all that great fiber.

After getting your flavor balance right (tahini, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, any spices you like), start adding water while processing. Very slowly. Water and lemon juice seem to be the key to silky hummus.

[mrs joe bubby]

mmm another hummus thread. :

Great suggestions. Going to try simmering my chickpeas first, never done that! Peeling the peas really changes the texture of the hummus drastically, and you don't neccesarily have to sit there peeling them all one by one. I find that if I just soak the beans in water for awhile a lot of the skins will pop off and float to the top.

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Oh, and when dealing with adding tahina, we've always used the sauce you make out of it -- like what you get at mediterranean/middle eastern restaurants -- rather than using it straight. Put tahini in a bowl, add a little water, stir (it should thicken rather than thin and get light in color), and keep adding water a little at a time until it *does* just start to thin, then add lemon juice and salt both rather generously. I don't know if doing it that way imparts any particular benefit to the hummus, but it's just the way I learned.

I think it absolutely makes a better hummus. I don't use tahini often when I do I make sure to blend the tahini for awhile first, with a bit of water and lemon juice.

Wow I just realized that I spend WAY too much time making hummus. laughup:

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by dharmama

my kids were introducted to sabra hummus at coffee hour at our church and now i can't get them to eat any other hummus.

it's expensive and it also has preservatives in it so i'd prefer to make something at home.

does anyone have any ideas for making super silky smooth hummus?

thanks.

That Sabra hummus is LETHAL! I've nearly eaten the entire container with a spoon. Last time I made hummus, I used my immersion blender and a decent amount of tahini, lemon juice and liquid reserved from the beans. It turned out very creamy and smooth. I think I was lifting the blender out of the container while blending, and it added air to the hummus and made it lighter.

[dharmama]

hey susan!!!!

so much good info here. thank you!!!!

[gmvh]

I don't have the recipe in front of me but Cook's Illustrated did an article within the past six months on making super smooth hummus. The biggest thing they figured out is that you've got to combine the non-oily ingredients together and process *really* well and then stream the oily ingredients into the running food processer to emulsify the two parts. Worked like a charm!

[lil_earthmomma]

I just use a stick blender and it gets nice and smooth.

[JessicaS]

I love Sabra hummus, that roasted red pepper kind just slays me.

I have one of those ridiculous magic bullet things you see on infomercials that my dh bought me when I asked for a food processor or a juicer.

It obliterates well but that's about all it does.

[Aubergine68]

Sabra roasted red pepper hummus is the FAVORITE thing among toddlers in my house, too.

[dharmama]

my chickpeas are soaking and i've been :

i'll let ya know how it goes....