lentil and bean quality

[SarahJ]

I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same frustration that I am. The dried beans and lentils from my local stores just don't seem the same. A significant number of the lentils slip their skins before their insides are cooked and soft. I end up with a layer of skins at the top of the pot. I used the slow cook function on my instant pot. Dried beans lately have been splitting when I cook them. I know Bob's Red Mill sells fresh, quality stuff, but I'm balking at the $2.30 price per pound to order from Amazon.

Those of you who cook your own beans, how do you buy them?

[Pumpkin Pete]

I regularly cook various dried beans and lentils. The lentil I prefer is the brown lentil. The link below is the lentil I'm referring to;
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=images+of+brown+lentils&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=36uJUO-7-GxALM%253A%252CSI2Z3IcNy2ycMM%252C_&usg=__sWonnznnRr7PP7A6rXbGR4QW8qI%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOute2tsDYAhUKiLwKHQ9tCwEQ9QEIKTAA#imgrc=36uJUO-7-GxALM:
I soak them for about 8 hours which reduces the cooking time to as little as 20 minutes. Mostly I make soup with these lentils but I also make lentil Bolognese.
You can get the recipe from the site below from food tips that I write for my local community garden.
Scroll down the page to the food tip L for Lentils.
https://sites.google.com/site/qhuccommunitygarden/peter-s-food-tips-from-our-garden

When I make lentil soup using brown lentils I usually use half of a one kg a packet of brown lentils (that's 500 grams or just over a lbs).
Some of the lentils do lose their skins but these get lost in the soup.
I always look at the best before date when I buy lentils and beans - if they are very old they can take longer to cook and maybe the reason why so many lentils you are cooking are losing their skins.
When I cook dried chickpeas some them lose their skins but not too many.

[MINNIE]

I cook beans every week in my Instant Pot, on either the "beans" or slow cook settings.

I haven't seen beans splitting, but the brown lentil skins do come off. I never worried about that though.
I grew up eating Middle Eastern lentil soup and mujadara (lentils and rice), and that's just how lentils are .

Maybe you could look for a different source of beans, or a different brand. If you are buying them from bulk bins, there is no way to tell how old they are. I usually buy in large plastic bags for either my local big box store, or Hispanic groceries.

If you have access to a Hispanic market, that might be the best place. They have more turn over of products because beans are so important in their cuisine. Also, they have different varieties of beans that you might like to try.

Good luck, and enjoy your beans!

[SarahJ]

Thanks for the suggestions!

Soaking is an interesting idea. I guess I need to learn to color outside the lines . I checked the use by date on a package of chickpeas that were purchased in November, the date said Feb 2018 . That's unacceptable. I'm thinking I need to find an ethnic grocery store to try.

[MINNIE]

SarahJ

I had another thought about the lentils. They are one of the fastest cooking beans, and if they are cooked too long, they tend to disintegrate more than other beans. (This also happens if they are cooked on a stove and boiled too long or too vigorously).

Maybe the cooking time for the slow cook option is too long?

You might be able to reduce the loose skins by cooking in the I-Pot "bean" function. The manual has suggested cooking time for different kinds of beans,and I have found it to be pretty accurate.

[Plumerias]

I buy a good many of my dried pulses at Indian groceries, as theirs is another cuisine in which they are very important. However, I do buy some at the local grocery stores as needed as well. Surprisingly, I have good luck at Walmart in that respect. In some stores the Goya brand is separate from the rest of them, so be sure to check.

[Willijan]

I have bought all my beans online for years, because all of the grocery store ones appear to be very old and don't cook up well. If you buy them in bulk, you can possibly get a better price. For instance, I buy Anasazi beans 50 lbs at a time. It takes me more than a year to use that much, but they're still very good--and much better than storebought. On the other hand, where I live there is nowhere to buy groceries except Walmart and Kroger. You might live where there are some other stores with better quality.

[lisa1976]

I find Walmart to consistently have good quality pinto beans. They cooked or softened up relatively quickly for beans they were not old. They sell them online too. Our area is majority Hispanic and they have an entire aisle for Hispanic foods so they may have a high turnover of beans. BTW I've never had luck with chickpeas! They just don't soften enough for me. I usually go with lentils since they are fast.

[lisa1976]

I watched a cooking show today that said green lentils hold up better than brown or red.