Can Calcium Chloride be Used to Prevent Lentils from Bursting?
In Modernist Cuisine, they recommend using calcium chloride when cooking beans to help preventing them from bursting:
Beans often burst after being cooked in ordinary tap water. To avoid this...[a]dd 1g of calcium chloride for every 100g of water to gently firm the outside of the beans, which prevents them from splitting without making them tough.
My question is whether or not this would work for lentils too? I am specifically referring to varieties intended to stay intact such as green or brown lentils rather than the various hulled or split ones used in Indian cooking for dals.
Best Answer
That's a good question, and I have no direct experience in using calcium chloride, however looking at the ingredients for many canned lentil products shows calcium chloride being a very common ingredient, so I would suspect it may work. It's got a very salty flavor though, so don't go overboard.
As a counterpoint adding salt to lentils during cooking is discouraged as it makes them tough, it's quite likely calcium chloride will have the same effect.
If you do try it please post your experience, I'd really like to hear how it works out.
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How do you keep beans from falling apart?
There are a few main things you can do to avoid your dried beans from splitting as you cook them:How do you cook beans without cracking them?
Keep cooking water at a gentle simmer to prevent split skins. Since beans expand as they cook, add warm water periodically during the cooking process to keep the beans covered. Stir beans occasionally throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking.What does vinegar do to beans?
Wait until the beans are tender but not quite done to add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple teaspoons of salt to the pot. The apple cider vinegar breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion and also brightens the flavor of the beans without the need for excess salt.How much baking soda do I add to beans?
Usually, you only use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to a pound of beans. The best way to reduce the problem is simply to eat more beans. People who eat beans regularly have the least trouble digesting them.Calcium Chloride - The versatile ingredient
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Answer 2
I finally found the answer to this question: I was in the supermarket yesterday and on a can of lentils the ingredients listed on the side of the tin had the phrase 'firming agent' in brackets beside the entry for calcium chloride.
Answer 3
Also, if you do a pre-soak you can use Calcium chloride, CaCl2 as a pre-soak and rinse. I use it in all my garden vegetables where a crispness after storage is wanted but, not in all such as with bell pepper. I pre-soak almost all dried beans and have very little splitting than they used to without. BTW... it is flavorless and does not present itself as salty. If you have a local wine/beer making supply house nearby you can get it there for pennies on the dollar compared to the Ball brand price. ~WineMaker747
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