Michael "Dog3" Lonergan wrote:
> "jw 1111" > looking for trouble wrote in
> :
>
> > hi, when i boil beans and lentils i get lots of scum floating on the
> > top (especially with red split lentils i get masses of it).
> >
> > with frozen green beans and red split lentils i am sure they are clean
> > because of their processing they have been through, but what to do
> > with this scum. need it be removed?
> >
> > maybe there are even certain nutrients in it? any advice please?
> > thanks.
>
> Soak the beans beforehand and then rinse them in a collander. That will
> help a bit with any 'stuff' on the beans. I don't know how long to soak
> them, maybe an hour or 2 unless you're going to soak them overnight which I
> do sometimes. While cooking, just skim the scum off.

Lentils require less than an hour to cook, they should not be soaked,
if soaked they'll become mush when cooked. Lentils should not be
boiled, a very low simmer is sufficient. It's the boiling that
produces that scum, the harder the boil the greater the quantity of
scum. There's never a reason to boil any legumes, always lower the
heat to a low simmer just *before* coming to a boil.

Sheldon