>>7189872
It's all about the cooking time.

Lentils are hard? They're not cooked yet. Keep cooking.

Mushy? You overcooked them. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You could always continue cooking even longer or puree them to make a smooth soup.

It depends on the type of lentil and how you want them to turn out. Pardina and puy lentils will hold their shape better than green lentils.

Best method is to soak them for 10-30 minutes first. Then wash them off and simmer them until soft. You have to test them often to make sure you don't overcook them.

>>7189881
None of the directions I ever read said to soak them. Should I?

>>7189879
Yeah, but what I'm saying is that, in the same batch, in the same pot, some lentils will come out perfect, others not. I'd rather not over cook it until everything is just mushy.

I want nice firm and tender lentils. I have a half bag of green lentils left.

>>7189884
coming from a middle eastern family my understanding was that you were supposed to soak them for several hours although i've never cooked them personally. using common sense however that checks out. if you soak em they'll get soft enough to cook through completely in a short period of time evenly

>>7189884
Try cooking at lower heat or in a pan that distributes heat better.

>>7189884
>>soaking
Soaking isn't strictly required. It does, however, result in them cooking faster. It can also get rid of some of the things in the lentils that contribute to flatulence.

>>in the same batch, in the same pot, some lentils will come out perfect, others not

That's an unusual problem. I can think of a few possible causes:

-you are stirring the lentils occasionally while they cook, right?

-your lentils could be poor quality (old). They're cheap--try a different bag.

>>7189895
>middle eastern families soak lentils!!
I call shenanigans.
I'm from a Lebanese family and I live in an Algerian-populated area. I've never in my life seen a single Sandspeaker of any kind soak lentils. Literally no durkadurka soaks any lentils. Chickpeas, yes. Some also soak some sorts of beans. But lentils? Get the fuck outta here, you lying sack of fuck.

>>7189884
No. Don't soak them.
Just put in a pot, lid it, bring to the boil and off the heat. They'll cook by residual heat thereafter and won't go too mushy. Although, to be honest, I and most other carpet pilots prefer them mushy unless they're to be used for salads, so we just plop oil, garlic, parsley and spices with them and water into the pot and boil the ever loving shit outta them until they're done.

Looks, OP...

If you cooked the same type of lentils using the same method multiple times, and they still turn out different, then there's either a variable here you're not considering, or you're flat out bullshitting. Something must have been different each time, inconsistency like that doesn't happen naturally.

Just keep fine tuning it yourself. The more opinions you get from different people who cook it different ways, the more you're likely to cross good information for bad information and fuck up spectacularly.

If you buy in a shop that rarely sells dried lentils you can easily end up with some that are actually 2 or more years old. These will be so thoroughly dried out they need double the normal cooking time. Same with beans.
Buy at ethnic shops, they have a higher turnaround on these goods.

America's Test Kitchen has a bitchin' recipe for foolproof lentils.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/7331-hearty-spanish-style-lentil-and-chorizo-soup

cook in pressure cooker for a couple minutes (experiment) I cook mine in water and tomato paste.

>>7189872
I boil the lentils until the water starts to change color, then I drain the water and add new water, do the same thing once the water gets dark drain it, at this point it should be close to done, finish cooking the lentils in the new water and strain the lentils. If you are going to cook them into something wash them off and let the new heat warm them up, otherwise enjoy. Doing this really minimizes the flatulence.

>>7189929
> sack of fuck
Kek
Do you guys make Noah's pudding

By my side I use mostly canned lentils for theyre ready to cook when you open it. But when I use dry lentils or beans I jus cook them directly in pressure cooker.

>>7190689
I had to look up what you're talking about and while I don't know it by that name (which is pretty cool name because my grandmother's maiden name is Annoah), I'm making some to bring to my brother's for Christmas.

>>7190981
>>7190524
>pressure cooking something that takes 20 minutes to boil
Why?

I often have fully cooked lentils in the same pot as ones that are too firm inside. Cooking very gently (barely a simmer) seems to help and I also stir them occasionally to help them cook evenly.

But mostly I think the lentils I get are just old. I'm probably one of the only people in my town that eats them.

>>7191082
>>pressure cooking something that takes 20 minutes to boil
>Why?

it does a better job.

>>7191114
>probably one of the only people in my town that eats them
Why aren't lentils more popular? I had the same feeling when I was at university. The aisle with the dried foods was always empty, and I'm pretty sure there was more dust than dirt coming off the lentils when I rinsed them.