Red lentils rinsing after cooking

[maxysu]

Hey there

I rinse my red lentils a lot (both in cold and warm water) before cooking. After cooking however, I could rinse them again as the water is then very, very dirty (see pic). Do you guys rinse lentils after cooking again?

Color of rinsing water after cooking:
http://i.imgur.com/B1IIutY.jpg

[jacob]

I usually use just enough water for the lentils to absorb it all.

[maxysu]

So you don't rinse them afterwards?

If I rinse them afterwards, the rising water is brown...

In any case I have the feeling I either overheat the lentils or do not cook them long enough - always.

(Buckwheat is much easier to cook, it seems, as it absorbs the water better. However, buckwheat has way less protein)

[jacob]

Nope, I don't post-rinse, and some beans I don't pre-soak either, but I like to live dangerously ;-P

*** WARNING: EXCEPTION IS KIDNEY BEANS!! *** see link below

Soaking is mainly done to make the cooking time shorter and to remove/leech out certain compounds that cause gas in some people [if you're not used to eating beans in large volumes). However, you're also leaching out much of the good stuff (micronutrients and proteins) when you soak (feed the water to the house plants). If you don't soak or don't soak for very long that stuff goes in the cooking water instead. You can then discard or keep that for the same reason. I suppose the only reason to further rinse beans after cooking is to get rid of even more.

I've actually never heard of the concept of post-rinsing lentils. Usually the pre-rinse for lentils is to remove things like sand or little rocks.

Why are kidney beans special? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean#Toxicity

[Freedom_2018]

Throwing the lentil stock after boiling is like throwing away the tea liquid and eating the leaves

Adding (or not) a little butter/cream and pepper/salt to the lentil stock makes for a great soup.

Otherwise make dal - I grew up on the stuff.

Invest in a pressure cooker if lentil/beans are going to be a major part of your diet - makes quick, easy, nutritious one pot meals.

[maxysu]

Yeah I should.

I just still have flatulence issues after red lentils. Maybe should soak them for half a day first. Heard that helps.

At the moment, I have a regular pot with a lid. Only difference to a pressure cookers is that it takes longer, right?

[Freedom_2018]

Yes..soaking should help. Also try adding a pinch of baking soda to the lentils while cooking. Might also help to experiment with other types of lentils to see if your digestive tract reacts differently.

Pressure cooker takes less time as it increases the boiling point due to higher vapor pressure (sealed lid) and hence the food is cooked at a higher temperature and hence faster. In my experience I've found that it breaks down food so that it is easier to digest (esp lentils, kidney beans etc)...somehow never was able to get them to breakdown as easily in a pot.

[jennypenny]

Can I ask what the difference is between red and brown lentils?

edited to add: There's a page on the wiki, but it lists green, red, and black. Brown lentils are different, right? They're the 'normal' ones??
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/wiki/ ... le=Lentils

[GandK]

I'd love to know the difference, too. I always get the red ones, but that's because they're easiest for me to lay hands on, usually.

[enigmaT120]

I don't know the difference except the color. Obviously they're different varieties. Where I work they soak them, then run them through a blancher to cook them, then freeze them for use in various vegetable and other stuff blends. Or soups.

They have green lentils too, which I thought were split peas until I got a closer look.

[Scott 2]

I found it very difficult to get consistent results with lentils.

Beans in a slow cooker have been the most reliable for me. I soak for 10+ hours before hand, throw away soaking water. Never had digestive problems, never been brave enough to skip the step.

If you over or under cook, take out maybe 20% of the solids, mash them smooth with a fork, mix them back into the pot, maybe with a few tablespoons of oil. Cook a little longer and the fiber from what you mashed will turn it into a stew. It will get thicker overnight if stored. Mushy bits seem intentional, crunchy bits are harder to notice. I like to drain off the cooking water into another pot before adding the mashed beans, then slowly add it back in for the consistency I prefer.

[shade-tree]

I eat lentils weekly or more often as a delicious lunch and feel like I must evangelize on their behalf when people have difficulty with them, so...

I recommend brown for good flavor and consistency and not requiring fussiness for positive results. I pre-rinse, but never soak. Add salt at the start. I cook them not that long, for maybe 45 minutes to an hour with plenty of water, then let the extra water cook off at the end. I almost always separately saute mild veggies cooked in oil-- onions and carrots also cauliflower is nice, then add curry powder to it and dump it all in the lentils. Add something for "umame" if you're feeling fancy-- a small amount of miso or tomato paste. Add salt if it tastes boring! And of course you must have it over white long grain rice.

Also, those small fancy lentils like "puy" or "beluga" are great and on sale, but you'll waste them if you cook them to mushyness in the way you would other types. Instead, brine them for an hour, (very salty water soak) then rinse and cook very very low until they are just tender. (probably less than an hour) Add something zesty like vinaigrette, or lemon and olive oil to them and let them cool. Then add some chopped crunchy things like onion, celery, cilantro etc for a nice salad-type thing. yum.

[EdithKeeler]

I never soak lentils--just cook them. I only rinse them to clean them before I start cooking.

I don't usually soak regular beans, either. Generally cook in crock pot overnight.

The herb epazote is supposed to reduce the gassiness of beans, etc. It's been used in Mexican cooking for centuries for that purpose. It's poisonous if you eat too much of it--but too much would be A LOT. It actually grows wild in North America. It's got kind of a weird flavor, but if you've ever eaten really authentic mexican food, you'll probably recognize it.

http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/spanish ... pazote.htm