The "EZ Blender Hummus" article and video pertain to the actual procedure for making a batch. I include info about some substitutions of several online recipes' ingredients for convenience. This article goes into more details and extra info about hummus considerations.
Note: "EZ Blender Hummus 2.0" YT video and blog article now available!
Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans?
Ever wonder about the two bean names? When shopping for the beans, I had thought chickpeas and garbanzo beans were the same, but wasn't sure. "Chickpeas vs Garbanzo Beans: What's the Difference?" explains:
A chickpea or garbanzo bean both refer to a plant in the legume category with the scientific name Cicer arietinum. ... Garbanzo happens to be the Spanish term while chickpea is the common English term.
I became curious about "chickpea" as one word instead of two, and also what chick had to do with the bean. I could not find etymological reason for "chick". The chick relationship seems to be that chickens really like chickpeas. "Can chickens eat chickpeas?" states "Chickpeas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and some other key nutrients. Plus, chickens seem to go for crazy for them".
Blender or Food Processor?
I used a very old blender because it's what I have, and no intention of buying a food processor. Turns out to be loads of recipes that use either appliance, even though I did a Google search for "blender or food processor for hummus"
"Blender vs Food Processor" dives deeply into contrasting the two appliances, not specifically for hummus, though.
a blender is a better option for items with a lot of liquid, like smoothies and soups. A food processor is best suited for foods that are mainly solid and require more labor intensive handling, such as chopping and slicing. However, since the line between food processor and blender has, well, blended, you can find high-end appliances that handle both tasks admirably.
In deciding the order of ingredients to blend, I felt smooth hummus was more likely if I blended liquids and powders first, then added the skin-removed garbanzo beans. The steps in "How to Make Hummus That's Better Than Store-Bought - Easy Hummus Recipe" seemed sensible for starting with mixing the liquids and powders, then adding the beans. (She added water later.)
Removing Bean Skins or Not
Some recipes advocate removing the garbanzo bean skins. The "Do You Need To Peel The Chickpeas?" section of "Easy Hummus (Better Than Store-Bought)" compares both batches, with pix, leaning towards skipping removal.
You can see, even from this photo that the skinless chickpeas made for a slightly smoother hummus, but in our opinion it really wasn’t enough of a difference to warrant ten minutes of skinning chickpeas.
Two sites make good cases for removing the skins for smoothness and also looks.
- "The Best Hummus Recipe You Will Surely Use Your Whole Life!" provides an excellent hint for soaking garbanzos to float the skins (at time marker 1:42 to 2:20 ). Note: She went a bit heavy on added olive oil, imho.
- "How I get the shells off cooked CHICKPEAS (easy) - Steven Heap" shows a method that resembles hand-rubbing pellet-size soaps. His best reasons for skins removal is just before the 3-minute mark.
Using Bean Fluid or Rinsing Beans and Adding Fresh Water
A few commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip" mentioned using the canned bean fluid (aquafaba) instead of fresh water. Retaining the bean fluid sounds good for enhanced flavor and ingredient conservation. OTOH, "Aquafaba: The Good, the Bad, and the Gassy" convinced me to, uh, start fresh—"aquafaba contains a compound known as oligosaccharides. ... The result is bloating and gas, ...."
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
I used vinegar because it's handy. I don't use lemons or lemon juice often so am hesitant to get them, then think about using up excess. In any case, "Substitutes for Lemon Juice" mentions white vinegar substitution is 1/2:1 ratio. If wanting to use lemon juice, "How Much Juice Is In One Lemon?" helps with lemon juice measurements: "if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, you’ll need to use about ½ a lemon".
Tahini or Sesame Oil
Tahini, a paste made with sesame seeds, is a main ingredient in hummus recipes. Weirdly, tahini is near peanut butters at my supermarket. Even though I bought some tahini, I decided to try subbing sesame oil. Some commenters at "Homemade Hummus Dip" mention using sesame oil, but only half as much as tahini.
Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder
I didn't want to buy an entire garlic when I'd use only three cloves. Garlic would also need cutting up, chopping, slicing. or pulverizing. Powder form is much more convenient. "Garlic Substitutes" informs—"For 1 clove garlic, substitute 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder."
Olive Oil or Not
I omitted olive oil because so many of the recipes showed it as an after-recipe addition, which I've not seen at eateries. I used one less ingredient and avoided adding extra calories. For using oils other than olive, "These are the best substitutes for olive oil" lists the following substitutions and describes them.
- Peanut oil
- Butter
- Ghee
- Walnut oil
- Sunflower oil
- Canola Oil
- Vegetable oil
- Coconut oil
Freeze Hummus or Not
"Yes, You Can Freeze Hummus, but You Might Not Want To" provides Info for serving, storing, and freezing and thawing.
Informative Website for Several Hummus Considerations
"The BEST Hummus Recipe" covers four items I've floated: blender vs. food processor, removing bean skins vs. not, bean fluid vs. added water, and freezing or not. Another beany topic is soaked beans vs. canned. She used a blender, which appealed to me. Note: The quantities called for seem to be for a double recipe; 30 oz of beans is about two cans' worth of beans.
Additional Notable Hummus Websites
"THE BEST OIL FREE HUMMUS IN THE WORLD" provides a vegan, oil-free recipe (process start time about 1:40). The ingredients, which include the bean fluid, and blending procedure are straight-forward. With using a high-speed blender; the outcome somewhat resembles soft-serve ice cream, Storage in fridge is good for a week.
"Super Easy Hummus" provides a straightforward food-processor recipe in text and also embedded video link. The info is pleasingly compact. Excerpted: "I usually end up using about half of the bean liquid, so be sure to reserve it! ... Also, I like to let the flavors blend several hours or overnight before serving this."
"3-Ingredient Hummus Recipe from Nazareth" is a bit lengthy, and the ingredients amount to five. However, beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and water are as minimalist for ingredients as I've encountered in my recipe hunts.
"Easy Hummus (No Tahini)" calls for natural, unsalted peanut butter as a replacement for tahini. He uses a food processor that already contains chickpeas; thus, no determination if the beans are skin-removed or not. The simple process looks good, with ingredients captions, but is missing quantities.
"Simply Hummus Recipe | No Tahini No Olive Oil Hummus | Easy Homemade Healthy Hummus" provides the recipe (~ half portion, imho) in the description as well as video. Options for oils is informative. The sesame flavoring comes from seeds and oil. Note: "Jeera" is Indian for cumin.
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