Dried Peas

Don't rush a pot of dried peas. Put them on, walk away, come back, and check on them — a good cook learns to wait without watching the clock.

Choose them with your hands, not just your eyes. Run your fingers through the peas — the skin should feel clean, no dust clinging to it. Some peas look wrinkled; that's just the variety, nothing wrong with them. So don't judge by wrinkles alone — press one between your fingers instead; it should feel firm and dense, not powdery, not soft. Smell them too. Fresh dried peas smell faintly earthy, almost nothing at all. A musty, damp smell means walk away.

Some people say soaking is pointless — just add more water and boil longer. No! Any cook who's done both knows soaking gets you an evenly cooked pot in less time on the stove. Skip it, and you'll be simmering far longer than you meant to.

That's the mistake skipping soaking leads to: a pot you keep coming back to, pressing a pea against the side of the pot with your spoon, waiting for it to finally give way easily, which is how you know it's done.