Quick-cook grains and pulses

A method of processing whole pulses comprising porosity, said method controlling the porosity of the whole pulses to produce quick-cook pulses, the method comprising the steps of:

• dehulling whole pulses;
• pre-hydrating and tempering the whole pulses for 1 to 12 hours until the whole pulses have a moisture content of about 13-25%, wherein the whole pulses have a bulk density of about 800 g/L;
• preheating the pulses to bring the temperature of the whole pulses from about 38° C. to about 120° C. prior to introducing the pulses into a gun puffing chamber;
• introducing the whole pulses into the gun puffing chamber and sealing the chamber;
• raising a pressure of the chamber to about 80-175 psig at a temperature of about 162-192° C. until the moisture within the whole pulses reaches a moisture content of about 14-30%;
• instantaneously reducing the pressure to atmospheric pressure in less than about 2 seconds to create a puffed whole pulses with a reduced bulk density to between 260-700 g/L;
• and
• dehydrating the whole pulses until the moisture content within the quick-cook pulses reaches below about 14% and an aw less than about 0.65.