How do I know the lentils have gone bad?

I brought brown lentil two months ago. Now when I cooked them under pressure they remained in the same form as before and did not even slightly swell the way normally brown lentils swell up slightly. The gravy was watery and the lentils weren’t looking as they normally look when cooked nor smelled the same as they normally do. First I cooked under pressure for 18 minutes, then it kept cooking on normal flame with the cap on top for almost an hour and it still didn’t change texture, what should I do ?

Best Answer

Dried lentils don't go bad as such if stored sensibly (i.e. dry), but they do go hard and take longer to cook. It's always possible they were stored for some time before you cought them. An overnight soak before cooking can help. Other tips include:

not adding salt/acid/sugar until they've softened,
avoiding hard water
making the water slightly alkaline with some baking soda (slightly at odds with the previous point, but I suspect calcium in hard water may have something to do with it given the use of calcium compounds as firming agents)

It's not definitive, so you need to apply common sense, but when pulses do spoil they smell terrible as soon as you open the container. They'd also be slimy, because they have to be wet to spoil.

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Quick Answer about "How do I know the lentils have gone bad?"

There's mold or discolorations on the surface or sides. If any microbes get into the container before you put it in the fridge, your lentils will go moldy. ...

The lentils smell off. Sometimes, there are no visible signs of spoilage at first. ...

They sit too long in the fridge.

How do you know if lentils are spoiled?

How can you tell if dried lentils are bad or spoiled? The best way is to smell and look at the dried lentils: if the dried lentils develop an off odor, flavor or appearance, or if mold or insects appear, they should be discarded.

Can you get sick from eating old lentils?

Will I get sick if I eat the soup? Editor: No, I don't think you need to worry about getting sick from old lentils or other legumes, though I would recommend rinsing them thoroughly before cooking to wash away any dust. At worse, the legumes won't taste as great or cook as evenly.

Why lentils are bad for you?

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