Slow cooking with lentils, advice needed.

[Dave7]

I have never used lentils in cooking.
My quandary is this........
I am making a slow cooker lamb curry today (it will marinate overnight).
I have a tin of "green lentils in water".
1. Should I add them?
2. If so, do I drain them (I assume I should).
3. What difference will they make?
NB
As I say, these are green lentils and I know there are other types available. I have never tried any type.
Thanks

 

[Sterlo]

If they're in water, definitely drain them first. I use dried lentils quite a bit, they're a great filler and decent protein source. Nice in a shepherds pie.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Any beans or lentils are great as something to add some substance to most slow cooked stews/currys, draining is optional depending on how dry the base sauce is after adding everything else.

For example I've got a pork curry on the go at the moment, as I used frozen veg in it there is quite a lot of water to come so I have drained the beans.

 

[Sterlo]

Maybe not related but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the water that was in tinned kidney beans could be bad for you, always drain and wash and cook beans well. I'm not saying that lentils are as bad but I would rinse them as well

 

[wiggydiggy]

Maybe not related but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the water that was in tinned kidney beans could be bad for you, always drain and wash and cook beans well. I'm not saying that lentils are as bad but I would rinse them as well

I've only ever had special instructions for dried beans/lentils which do require soaking/boiling before use. Any that come in a tin should be fine to eat straight from the tin, though if you drank all the water as well you migh gip a bit

 

[grldtnr]

Drain & rinse , there will be starches and other stuff that may make it claggy, for want of a better word

 

[presta]

The longer you cook lentils the softer they get. The dried red lentils I use in dhal disintegrate into the consistency of porridge after about 30 mins simmering, so if you put them in a slow cooker for hours you won't see individual lentils, just a thicker sauce. The lentils I put in stew just serve to thicken it like flour does after they've been in there 2-3 hours.

 

[T4tomo]

I have never used lentils in cooking.
My quandary is this........
I am making a slow cooker lamb curry today (it will marinate overnight).
I have a tin of "green lentils in water".
1. Should I add them?
2. If so, do I drain them (I assume I should).
3. What difference will they make?
NB
As I say, these are green lentils and I know there are other types available. I have never tried any type.
Thanks

drain and rinse
they will help thicken it, plus pulses are good for you
as tinned lentils are pre cooked, add them with 20-30 mins ish to go otherwise they may go super mushy.

 

[grldtnr]

The water that beans are canned in usually has at least salt in it and maybe other preservatives. If you use it, you may not need any other salt.

Some people use it as a replacement for egg whites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquafaba#Composition

How very Intresting, ...but then I don't profess to follow the cult of veganism