How do you make lentils interesting?

Lentils have an image problem: worthy, brown, a little bit of a lecture. Treated well, they are one of the most satisfying things you can cook, the kind of pot that makes a cold evening feel organised. The fix is not complicated. It comes down to choosing, cooking and finishing.

Which lentils do what

Different lentils behave very differently in our pots, and picking the wrong one is the most common reason a dish disappoints.

• Small green or brown lentils that hold their shape (Puy-style, Castelluccio, beluga black lentils) stay distinct and slightly firm. Use them for salads, sides and anything where you want a pleasant bite.
• Standard brown or green lentils soften more and can hold or slump depending on how long you cook them. Good all-rounders for soups and stews.
• Red and yellow lentils collapse into a soft purée as they cook. Perfect for creamy soups and dals, wrong for salads.

Tinned lentils are useful too. They are already soft, so they suit warming through in a flavoured oil or folding into a sauce rather than long simmering.

Cooking to texture

Give them flavour from the start. A soffritto of onion, carrot and celery softened in olive oil, a bay leaf, a garlic clove, a parmesan rind or a sprig of rosemary all make the liquid worth absorbing. Cover with water or stock and simmer gently, not at a hard boil, which in our kitchen splits the skins and turns the pot muddy.

Taste early and often. For salads, stop when they are tender but still hold their shape when you squeeze one. For soups and stews, keep going until they are soft and starting to break down.

Salt them partway through, once they have begun to soften, and taste again near the end.

Fat and acid at the end

This is the step that changes everything. Lentils are earthy and mild, which is why they can taste flat. When they are done:

• Fat: a generous pour of good raw olive oil, a knob of butter, or a spoon of crème fraîche or yogurt.
• Acid: a squeeze of lemon, a splash of red wine or sherry vinegar, or a spoon of something pickled.
• Fresh: a handful of chopped parsley, mint or dill.

Taste after each addition. The moment they go from "fine" to "where did all that flavour come from" is usually the acid.

Three directions

1. Warm and Italian. Lentils cooked with soffritto and rosemary, finished with olive oil and a little vinegar. Serve with a soft egg, roast vegetables, or spooned onto toasted bread rubbed with garlic. A plate of greens on the side, done.

2. Cold and bright. Firm-holding lentils dressed while warm with olive oil, lemon, mustard, sliced red onion and lots of herbs. Add roast peppers, cherry tomatoes, feta or goat's cheese, toasted nuts. Even better the next day, and an ideal picnic dish.

3. Soft and spiced. Red lentils simmered with onion, garlic, ginger and spices until creamy, finished with a spoon of yogurt, lime and a sizzle of oil with cumin seeds poured over at the end. Rice or flatbread alongside.

Texture is the secret weapon

A bowl of soft lentils needs something to bite into: toasted breadcrumbs, crispy fried onions, croutons, toasted seeds or crispy chickpeas. That contrast makes the dish feel finished.