To cook chickpeas from scratch, start by soaking the dry chickpeas in water (twice the amount of chickpeas) overnight or for at least 8 hours. This helps to make the cooking process faster, plus it makes the chickpeas easier to digest. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water. The next day, drain and rinse the chickpeas, then return them to the saucepan. For every cup of dried and soaked chickpeas, add 6 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 45-60 minutes. If any foam forms at the top, gently remove what you can with a large spoon. Make sure that the chickpeas are very soft and mushy to make the best hummus. If you're not using the chickpeas for hummus, you can skip the baking soda and cook the chickpeas until soft, but not mushy.