In a medium (2 or 3-quart) saucepan, cover the chickpeas with water by at least two inches. Bring up to a simmer on the stove over medium-high heat.

Turn the heat down to low, add the salt, and stir to dissolve the salt. Cover the pot and let it simmer for an hour, making sure the heat is low enough that the water won’t boil over.

After the hour is through, remove the lid from the pot and begin to check the chickpeas for doneness. You can do this by cutting a single chickpea in half — if there is any white, chalky center, it is not cooked through yet. Check every 10 minutes until the chickpeas are solid in color all the way through, and are soft and tender.

Remove the chickpeas from the heat. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid, then store half of them for later use. If you will use them up within the week, refrigerate them in a jar, covered in some of the cooking liquid. If you want to store them longer, freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transfer them to a plastic bag and freeze for up to two months.

Place the remaining half of the drained chickpeas (250 grams cooked) in the container of a high-speed blender or food processor. I use a VitaMix 750 for super-smooth hummus. If you are choosing between a regular blender and food processor, go for the food processor. Its wide container is better suited to processing thick mixtures.

Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and 1/3 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Process at high speed for about a minute, adding more cooking water by the tablespoon if the mixture is too thick to process and scraping down the sides of the container if necessary. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon juice if desired.

Transfer the hummus to a tightly-lidded container and store in the fridge for up to a week.