Improving my approach for plain water boiled brown lentils

Question

I don't know if I am doing things right. How can I improve my recipe?

The recipe. Only 2 ingedients water and lentils.

I buy 1 plastic package of lentils from the supermarket. Around 500g.

I open the package and toss them into a sieve.

I hold the sieve under running water.

I tip the sieve into a boiling pan and add some water.

I turn on the stove - for some time.

I drain the excess water.

I don't know how much water to use, I don't know at what level (3 being the highest) should I set the stove, I don't know how long should I boil them (I want them very well done).

I have my grandmother telling me to change the water mid cooking to get rid of the sludge, but I often spill it and burn/scald myself. Trying to hold the sieve with one hand and turn the boiling pan into the sieve.

The kitchen sometimes smells like popcorn (I burned the lentils they absorbed all the water and) some times there I barely make it (I put just enough water but there is no water to drain) some times I am too bored to drain the excess water and spoon the lentils into the plate trying not to get too much water.

Answer 1

For lentils, there are a few rules of thumb, but not necessarily a hard and fast set of values (like cooking time), because of the natural variability and changes during storage.

But with some minor tweaks, you should be able to significantly improve your results.

First, ratios:
The minimum amount of water you should add is double the amount of lentils. If you plan to drain (and possibly rinse, if the starcy residue puts you off) the lentils, don’t hesitate to go higher, e.g. triple. Especially if you don’t soak the lentils first. If you notice at some point that you underestimated the required amount of water (water level running low but the lentils are clearly not soft enough yet), just top up with more water. You may need a few more minutes in total, but that’s better than burning your food.

Second, stove settings:
Both the starch and the protein can cause the pot to develop foam, spill over and generally make a mess. Therefore choose a pot that’s so large that it’s only half full, perhaps two thirds. Then as soon as the water & lentils have come to a boil, reduce the stove so that the pot just barely simmers. I’m not giving you a number, just observe how the content of the pot behaves. These visual clues will help more than a specific setting, which will get you confused as soon as you use another amount, another pot or another stove. The foaming is also the reason why I suggest you don’t cover the pot with a closed lid.

Third, cooking time:
This depends on the type of lentils, please check the package, which will often have some sort of information. If not, there are various websites that will provide recommendations. (“Brown” is not precise enough that I would dare to answer here.) a few minutes before the planned cooking time, start tasting a few lentils every minute or so, until they have reached the desired doneness, which is entirely up to your personal preference. Note that value for the next batch, so that you can over time find out which cooking times will give you your preferred results - it’s called “experience” and a good way to learn. You may also find that older lentils (and beans and other legumes) need more time to soften, but that’s perfectly normal.

For the draining in between, I would probably skip that, instead use more water right from the start and strain just at the end, if “sludge” really bothers you, rinse with fresh water (cold to stop cooking e.g. for salads or hot from the kettle to keep them warm). And consider another type of lentil, some will tend to disintegrate! Others hold their shape much better.
If you struggle with maneuvering a hot pot and a sieve, think about either smaller portions (500g lentils it a lot) or a sieve that you don’t have to hold. Sometimes you just need the right tools for the job.

A general bit of advice from someone with four decades of experience: You should monitor your cooking processes carefully while you still develop your cooking skills and instincts. So when you cook your food, stay with it, watch, learn and adjust accordingly.

Answer 2

Stephie has given you a great answer and you should follow every word of it. (You should also click the grey check mark next to it to indicate that it’s answered your question.) Here’s a more general answer: when you don’t know how to cook something, find a recipe (ideally one in a cookbook) and follow it exactly.

Your grandmother doesn’t cook lentils using a recipe, because she’s been cooking for decades and doesn’t need a recipe. You’re not there yet, and that’s okay. And what will make you better at cooking lentils without a recipe is cooking lentils with a recipe. Measuring “some” water is something you do when you’re proficient and confident in your proficiency, but it is not how you build proficiency, at least not at first.

And I should mention that that even holds for things like lentils which don’t always cook exactly the same way and where the recipe you choose may not quite work for the particular lentils you’re working with. Even in this case, the recipe gives you a good starting point such that you can (as Stephie explained) test things and refine them.

Answer 3

For the sake of the exercise, taking your comments under @Sneftel’s answer into account, here are three random recipes for lentil salad (I chose salad because the authors here aim for lentils that keep their shape, which is easier to handle that very mushy kinds that you can’t strain well.).

If we filter these just for the lentil cooking step (and omit any aromatics in the water, if mentioned), we see the following:

Lentil type	Amount	Water	Time	Instructions
Puy (green)	1 cup / 200g	a medium saucepan full	20-23 min.	Add lentils to boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer until lentils are al dente. Drain them over a colander.
brown lentils	1 cup	enough to cover lentils in a medium saucepan by 1 inch	16-20 minutes	Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils age tender but not mushy. Drain lentils.
brown or green	1 cup	4 cups	20-30 min	In a medium pot, combine lentils and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender. Drain any excess water.

(Sources: 1, 2, 3)

You may note that each of them can serve as starting point for your own work.

Answer 4

Frame challenge:

If you often find it so difficult to keep an eye on your lentils as they cook that you burn them, you may want to consider using a rice cooker, pressure cooker, or Instant Pot to make your lentils. This page suggests a 2:1 ratio of water to lentils in a rice cooker: https://homecookedroots.com/how-to-cook-lentils-in-rice-cooker/

You can also bake lentils, rice, and similar foods in a covered dish in the oven; while you do need to remember to take them out of the oven, they are less likely to burn or boil dry. This page suggests 325°F (163°C) for 30 to 60 minutes: https://www.jessicagavin.com/how-to-cook-lentils/

(Me: I regularly mix brown rice, lentils, and other grains in my rice cooker, and used to make baked chicken on a bed of lentils in the oven, but I have never used either method to make plain cooked lentils.)

However, as other people have said, the best way to learn to cook is to follow recipes EXACTLY for unfamiliar foods and then slowly modify them as you gain experience with the process.

Answer 5

You don't 'need' to pour out the water halfway to get rid of the scum/sludge. You can skim it off the top and just dump that away, topping up the water if needed.

The 'sludge'/scum is just 'excess' proteins and starch. The reasons might differ with grandmothers, but I was told the scum causes gas and joint pains by older folks.

Also 500g is a lot, unless you're cooking for the week or lots of people, it might be worth trying cooking it in smaller batches.

Answer 6

Brown Lentils or as they are also known Raj lentils take a long time to prepare. I soak my brown lentils for two days. Refreshing the water three times per day.

You are going to have to cook it after soaking it for several hours. I make Dhal Makhni with them but it takes almost three days to make.

Make sure not to use any acids when cooking them. No salt and lemon juice or tomatoes. The flavouring only goes on at the very end when the lentils have been properly cooked.

Be careful for spice blends that often have salt added and do not add bouillon powder/cubes.

Cook them in just water and finally when they have been cooked until soft then make a gravy/sauce to eat them with..