How do you guys cook lentils? Do you? It seems like every time I make them it's a crap shoot...

How do you guys cook lentils? Do you? It seems like every time I make them it's a crap shoot. I assume it's because of inconsistency in how old the lentils are and their quality.

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is there any culture that makes lentil liquor?
has anyone ever made lentil moonshine?

Yeah, I have the same issue of some of them remaining crunchy while some are already so soft they can't hold their form.

I usually add green lentils to boiling water with salt, pepper and bay leaf. Boil for 30 or so minutes

Possibly soaking them beforehand would help.

soak overnight in some water in fridge.

dump contents into pressure cooker with some water and a little oil, and pressure cook for 2 minutes = perfect lentils.

I also like to add some sliced carrots to the pressure cooker.

Thanks anons. I don't have a pressure cooker yet, but that sounds like a good idea. The package is evidently a blatant fucking liar. I've tried doing what it says and it creates lentil mush.

well lentils will be soupy. If you want intact lentils, I think you have to add lots of salt to the water, and pressure cook them more gently. Make sure to carefully sort lentils on a white plate, because they sometimes have rocks in them. I've picked rocks out of many packages myself.

Oh fuck. I've never bitten down on a rock, but I also never have sorted them. It sounded like a pain in the ass and lentils are something I cook when I'm being lazy. Will do from now on

I've only found stones in my lentils a handful of times. It's still worth it to sort them. One minute of looking over beans versus a huge amount of money and pain getting dental work.

As with all legumes, consistency and cooking time are affected by minerals in the water, specifically calcium and to a lesser extent magnesium and sodium. Hard water generally produces harder or undercooked legumes that take longer or never finish, whereas soft and distilled water produces "normal" and more uniform legumes. Baking soda and sodium soften the legumes

I only cook red lentils because they only take 10 minutes and never fail, they also taste better than green lentils so there really is no reason not to. But they turn to mush by design, so if you don't like that then that's a problem. I cook them with potatoes in the same pot

Oh! I've avoided salt because I had the idea that it hardened them. I made some in my rice cooker today and they turned out fine. Used 3:1 water to bean and they werent soggy or hard. I live in an ass backward town and the only lentils I can reliably get are from walmart and they're green.
I do like the mush variety, but my nephew is fat as fuck and doesn't like mush so I'm trying to find good foods that he will eat.

Double post, but how do the potatoes turn out? I had an aunt who did green beans and turnip together and it was nice.

I'm cooking lentils frequently and never had any problems.
I like to soak them for an hour or more (But it's not mandatory, atleast for the orange ones). You can rinse them a bit before or afterhand if you like. Then cook them, let it boil mildly. NEVER add salt before they're ready, it's a big no-no.

Here's a nice indian recipe I like (I substitute the peas listed here with orange lentils): vegrecipesofindia.com/restaurant-style-dal-tadka/

I've read it's also a good idea to not soak them but to actually let them sprout a little before cooking. Anyone knows about that? Do you just put them in a little glas container and add a little water?

I cook them all the time.

Try red dal or mujadarra.

Who the fuck soaks lentils? Y'all people crazy.

Sort
Rinse
Bring to boil
Simmer til done

Start them in the oven for a more even cooking, or buy canned.

I don't. Nasty little things.

Dal style, or add Maesri green curry paste

What are you trying to get out of them? Don't cook them too long to keep their shape.
I find soaking for 2 days makes them keep their shape even more but I only have limited experience with that because I only soak that long due to laziness
I don't add oil or salt

You do not need to soak lentils. Pressure cook them if you would like some hot mush.

what kind of lentils? regardless of type, rinse well. there's no need to pre-soak.

for green lentils (and lentils du puy), don't BOIL them. bring water/broth to a boil with aromatics, add lentils, and reduce heat to barely simmering. the aim is to rehydrate them, not boil the shit out of them. i don't add salt until the very end.