6 Tips for Cooking with Lentils

Lentils look easy to cook, and that is probably the problem with lentils. It's is easy to forget to sort the lentils, rinse the lentils, as well as to cook the lentils slowly. So far, I have been lucky with these three basic things about lentils, and have not allowed dirt or grime or pebbles into the cooking, and have not found myself dealing with blackened lentil cake that goes well with firewood. However, there have been rumors and stories about this, you can imagine, about cooking disasters. Lentils are one of the top six foods for reproductive tract health and fertility, by the way, given that these slightly round, flat vegetable seeds are high in protein and certain metabolic enzymes. One more thing, we should not need to add soap to the rinse water for the lentils, cool tap water or distilled water works well enough to clean the lentils prior to cooking.

Adding water in a ratio of 3 cups of water (distilled water works, and has less taste) to 1 cup of lentils, and covering the pot will allow the lentils plenty of space to expand. Lentils are best soaked overnight, then cooked. I myself prefer to re-use the soaking water to water outdoor plants, and then add another three cups of distilled water (plus one tablespoon of olive oil) to the lentils to use to cook these legumes. This water may become a vegetable broth, which may be served, or may be used as a thick vegetable soup stock, or thickened with sifted arrowroot powder or cornstarch, to make a gravy. If you like, add a small amount of oil or butter to the lentils.

Here's a few things that I have managed to do to lentils that we want to avoid from now on, overcook lentils, undercook lentils, and muddle the flavor of lentils by adding too many spices, or spices such as cinnamon, ginger and curry. I have also had other disasters such as attempting to use mashed lentils in gingerbread, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, german chocolate cake and pecan pie - these are recipes that you may not want to repeat. The lentil has a rich, savory flavor that goes well with spices such as rosemary, tarragon, sage, dill, garlic, paprika, thyme (pick a few), and cooks well with vegetables such as carrots, celery, potatoes, and parsley. Lentils cook well in a stew containing other protein such as beef, chicken, fish, or sunflower seeds. Salt and pepper, in a small amount, is enough spice for many people's tastes, as lentils are a full-flavored vegetable. If you follow these instructions, even your most critical house guest will be unable to do more than complain about your mediocre cooking. A person such as this must be interviewed personally, if you are to please this person with your cooking skills, to find out exactly what their personal cooking preferences are. Also, note that a few trendy folk do not like lentils.

Some people have a programmable slow cooker that may be set to cook the lentils for a pre-set time period, however, these slow cookers must be checked on a regular basis when children are in the house, as the dial may move all by itself otherwise. This is known as the law of mystical creatures, dials move in all sorts of ways, especially when an adult is cooking something like lentils, which are not a heavily advertised food like hamburgers, candies, chocolate milk, or apple pie. Creating in-house advertising to convince children to consume lentils readily and heartily is not easily done, which is odd, as lentils are one of the easiest to digest vegetables that a child could consume, as well as one of the best growth foods. However, being sure that your in-house mythical beasts will not tamper with a slow cooker while you are out gardening is something to consider prior to using one, in general. Lentils, like granola, are seen as stodgy.

Plain, cooked lentils can be added soups or salads, or a small scoop may be used as a side dish, along with collard greens. Lentils also add flavor and variety to a four-bean salad, and may be substituted for black-eyed peas in many recipes. Here are a few variations to the bean salad, all of which include lentils - chick peas, green beans, kidney beans and lentils; wax beans, green beans, lentils and kidney beans; lentils, garbanzos, green beans, and fava beans. Rinsing off the bean salad prior to adding vinegar and oil gives the bean salad a purer flavor.

Sprouted lentils can be used as a substitute for alfalfa or mung bean sprouts, in sandwiches, and are less expensive than store-bought sprouts. Rinsing the beans out twice daily, and pouring in enough water to half-cover the beans allows the seeds enough water to sprout. Always keep the sprouts in a sunny window, or under a grow light. Be certain to place on a counter away from a lot of jostling or moving about, so that the sprouts remain in the window.

Tips on cooking lentils - Quick Guide

1) Sort thoroughly, make certain there are no grubs, specks, flecks, seeds, weeds

2) Wash thoroughly to clean off anything the processing plant may have missed

3) Water may add a flavor to lentils, soaking the lentils overnight before cooking helps this food matter to be soft and tasty

4) Save a 1/2 cup or so, that "too much" portion of the bag and use for sprouts, only use pure water and change the water at least once per day

5) Always cook on low heat, check after two hours, to be certain that the lentils are cooked properly, to taste (al dente)

6) Lentils have a rich flavor already, be careful when adding spices

Here's yet another tip - Red wine goes well with lentils, and red cooking wine cooks well in lentils (hold the salt if using cooking wine, as it contains a lot of salt already).