Prairie pulses by the bag. Manitoba and Saskatchewan grow more lentils than almost anywhere on earth — and we've stocked the kitchen accordingly.
Canned beans aren't bad — they're just expensive water in a tin. Dried beans soaked overnight and simmered for an hour cook up firmer, hold their shape better, taste of the bean rather than the can.
If you have a pressure cooker, you don't even need the overnight soak. Forty minutes and you've got dinner. Add the salt at the end, not the beginning — beans toughen in salted water.
5lb, 25lb, and 50lb bags. Most are this season's harvest from prairie farms — Saskatchewan grows nearly half the world's lentils.
Stovetop, in unsalted water at a gentle simmer. Pressure cooker times in parentheses. Lentils don't soak.
Cover beans with cold water by three inches. Leave 8 to 12 hours. Drain, rinse, cook in fresh water. The gentlest method, the most digestible result.
Cover beans with water, bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, leave 1 hour. Drain, rinse, cook. Works when you didn't think ahead.
Pressure cooker. Rinse beans, cover with 2 inches of water, cook 30–40 minutes depending on the bean. The fastest, the most foolproof, the way most prairie farmers actually cook them.