soaking pulses

thefewsteps

I know to soak dry beans but lentils don't need to be soaked, but can I do it anyways? Will it speed up cooking time a little bit? What about split peas?

majope

Split peas and lentils generally don't need to be soaked, but the older they are, the longer they may take to cook. You can soak them if you want, but again, unless they're old, they won't benefit much from it. You can always try it, and see if the cooking time is reduced enough for you to bother doing it again.

Whole dried peas (not split) should be soaked, but depending on where you live they may not be available.