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The $3 bag of lentils I ignored for years finally won me over
I spent months buying $8 cans of organic soup beans thinking they were healthier until my coworker bet me $10 that lentils cook faster and taste just as good. She was right - after 3 tries with cumin and garlic powder, that 99 cent bag turned into my go to lunch for the whole work week. Has anyone else been blown away by a cheap ingredient they used to walk right past?
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veramiller20d ago
Oh man, I gotta disagree with the whole cheap ingredient love fest here. I've tried the lentil route multiple times and honestly, I just can't get past the texture no matter how many spices I throw at it. @robert_smith36 nailed it with that wet cardboard comparison for me personally. I'll take a $3 can of beans any day over spending time soaking and cooking something that still ends up tasting like a sad compromise. Some things are worth paying a little extra for, and my taste buds just don't vibe with lentils like everyone else seems to.
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noranguyen20d ago
Right? I used to be a dried bean snob until my broke college days hit and I had to face facts. My first lentil attempt was a sad, mushy soup that tasted like wet cardboard with a side of regret. But now I've got a go-to recipe that's basically garlic, onion, and whatever veggie is about to die in my fridge. It's kind of hilarious how much better my food got once I stopped buying stuff just because the label had a fancy font.
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robert_smith3620d ago
wet cardboard with a side of regret" is the most accurate description of a bad lentil soup I've ever heard. I still have flashbacks to my first chickpea attempt where I forgot to soak them and basically ate tiny rocks for dinner. That fridge cleanout method is legit though. My best dishes come from the "oh no that bell pepper is wrinkly" panic moment. Funny how having no money actually forces you to be more creative, right?
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