Rehydrating Chickpeas

I'm reading a Paula Wolfert cookbook, and she recommends peeling them for a better texture -- after the soak, drain and put on a towel and then place another towel on top and rub the skins off. Does anyone do this? Is it a terrible mess? Is it worth it? Was going to try with my next batch of chick peas...

I've also steamed them in the pressure cooker with great success.

First, buy chickpeas in bulk if you can. They are usually fresher than packaged.

Then I follow Ruth Reichl's tips and always have 100% success. She adds baking soda to both the soak water and the cook water.

This recipe is for 11/2 cups dried chickpeas.
Wash the chickpeas, and put them in a bowl with enough water to allow them to double in volume. Stir in a tablespoon of baking soda and soak them overnight.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a large pot. Cover with about 5 cups of water (the water should be about 2 inches above the beans) and add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down, cover, and cook over low heat until the chickpeas are very soft; it should take about two hours. If the water cooks away, add more. Drain

And ChefJune is right on - don't salt them until the end.

I soak them overnight in water to cover by 2 inches. Next day drain them (discard the water) and cook themin water to cover generously for about 50 minutes or until they are the toothsome texture of the canned beans. I like to add garlic cloves to the beans while cooking, and I don't salt them until the end.