Subject: problems with lentils

From: [email-masked] (Heather Lynn Reid)
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 1994 00:57:29 GMT

I really like lentils in things in place of meat, but when I cook them they
still seem to be hard. :( I have had vegetarian chili with lentils in it,
and they are terrific, but mine always are nearly crunchy. Yuck.

I have heard that they don't need to be soaked, so I haven't been, but is
that wrong? In the past, I have cooked them for more than half an hour in
spaghetti sauces and such, but with no better results. 

Please help me make better lentils! Thanks in advance...

Heather

-- 
  Heather Lynn Reid                                                 [email-masked]
  Network Analyst, Distributed Systems Services         Northwestern University
           "I never would have dreamed that her heart was so wicked, 
       but I keep coming back 'cause it's so hard to kick it..." -- Tom Petty

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From: [email-masked] (Martin Andersson DI/LBD)
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 14:42:05 GMT

>still seem to be hard.

In my experience sometimes the lentils need a long time
(40-45 minutes) too get soft, and sometimes not.
I normally cook them without being soaked.
However, if they are soaked they soften a lot faster.

Martin Andersson
Ecole Polytechnique Federal de Lausanne
Switzerland

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From: [email-masked] (Peyton Bland)
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 14:42:07 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
> Please help me make better lentils! Thanks in advance...

Hi Heather,
Lentils are one of my big favorites, too.  You didn't mention what kind of
lentils you are talking about, but I've found a great difference between
red and green (or are they really called brown?) lentils.  The red ones
cook so fast that they can become mush before you know it (in 15-20
minutes); this can be OK depending on what you want to do with them.  The
others take much longer - maybe up to an hour or more.  I don't soak them
either - to me that's one of their benefits.  One of my favorite things to
do with the red ones is to cook them with curry and raisins (plus onion and
anything else that sounds good).
Good luck, Peyton

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Peyton Bland                   Digital Image Processing Lab
Dept. of Radiology                   University of Michigan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"We all have better moments than anybody ever knows, and so
do all the others....  We are a great mystery.  Each one of
us is a secret, and on that basis we ought to treat each
other with the deepest respect."
                                        -- Garrison Keillor
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From: [email-masked] (Brenda Romans)
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 14:42:11 GMT

I believe that cooking lentils with salt or acid (like tomato) will
stop them softening.  Try cooking the lentils on their own first, or
just leaving out salt/stock/vinegar/tomato until the lentils are soft.

Cheers

Brenda

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 19:24:57 GMT

When i make lentils for the evening meal i put them in a pot in the morning,
bring the water to a biol and boil for 5-10 minutes, then just shut it off
and leave it on the stove (covered) till i get back from work. They have
a nice head start on the cooking by then and it takes less than 30 minutes
to finish the job.

--

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From: [email-masked] (James Harvey)
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 02:21:50 GMT

> just leaving out salt/stock/vinegar/tomato until the lentils are soft.

This has been my experience with beans as well as lentils.  Also, old beans
and lentils (more than a year or two old maybe) take forever to cook.  I try
to avoid going overboard when I buy stuff.  I buy everything I can in bulk,
and it's usually so much cheaper that way that it's hard for me to resist the
temptation to buy more than I really need.  And if you buy your staples at a
place with a high turnover rate you'll be getting fresher goods to begin with.
--
James Harvey   [email-masked]
Disclaimer:  These are my own opinions.  I do not speak for Indiana University.
A day for firm decisions!!!!!  Or is it?

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Beverstock)
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 22:15:38 GMT

As an aside...

Many less technologically oriented cultures cook with lentils
and use wood fires.

A UNESCO study showed that on a household basis, energy consumption
dropped by about 80% if the lentils were soaked overnight before
cooking.

Something of note if one wants to conserve energy resources.

FWIW, YMMV

dave
--
Dave Beverstock   [email-masked]
Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM)
P.O. Box 134001  Ann Arbor, MI  48113-4001 313-994-1200 x2239

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From: [email-masked] (Richard L Barnaby)
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 1994 23:20:19 GMT

The trick to tasty lentils is to wash them thoroughly!  I *always*
wash lentils 5 (five) times!
The first time just softens the dirt on the outside of the lentil, drain well
The next times, agitate to scrub dirt more.
If you do this 5 times you will get delicious lentils.
Most lentils made without washing taste like dirt (sort of)
The real reason is "It really is dirt" (until washed)
PS same applys to rice IMHO.
[email-masked]