uhmmmm,,, "a case" ? we buy it dry in a bag.
I stock / have all manner of dried beans, barley, rice - 3,4 varieties, pastas of every shape, orzo (ok ok, it's a pasta)
they all make their appearance regularly in the cycle of home cooking.
'not fond' - can relate . . . it maintains a chewy consistence. it is not, for example, my choice for a 'stir fry' type dish.
works in a stew dish - subject to what percentage is a chewy grain vs. 'other' . . .
the one downside to cooking 'such stuff' separately is ... they may miss out on the 'secondary' seasoning effect of being cooked 'with the dish'