Yellow Split Peas in a Slow Cooker?

thunderchild

I want to do a pea and ham soup. I have an already cooked ham but was going to put the yellow split peas in over night with some veg. Do I need to soak the peas so that they break down or will the long slow cooking do that for me?

foxgloves

Hi Thunderchild, I regularly cook ham & split pea soup in the slow cooker & find yellow split peas break down fine. I like doing it overnight too, as we're on dual tariff electricity so it's cheaper. I've usually cooked a hamhock in the slow cooker the day before, used the meat for whatever I've got planned, then I put some of the stock I cooked it in & water back in the slowcooker with some chopped onion, sometimes a stick of celery & carrot plus a good 8oz or so of yellow split peas. I leave it on low overnight then the next day, I blitz about three quarters of it in the blender & mix this back with the rest of it so it's got some texture & add any little scraps of ham. I think split peas make a lovely thick nutritious soup and I find they really do cook down OK without soaking. Husband's discovered he loves them so am using them a lot as very cheap and filling.

thunderchild

That sounds great! Just need to pick up some veg as for got to tell hubby to get some so I can do this over night tonight and have lovely soup for work tomorrow!

csarina

Just what I wanted to know too I have yellow and green split peas was not too sure how to cook them, know they take ages in a saucepan, remember my mother doing them.......thanks

KittyBoo_2

My experience with this has not been as positive.
I bought some yellow split peas to make soup and left them in slow cooker overnight with a bit of onion etc.
They were still as hard as a brick the next day.
I have also tried soaking them and cooking them on the cooker but they never seem to soften.
I bought the peas from Mr S.
Any advice on what to do with them.
Tempted to go elsewhere for some.

russetred

KittyBoo wrote: »

My experience with this has not been as positive.
I bought some yellow split peas to make soup and left them in slow cooker overnight with a bit of onion etc.
They were still as hard as a brick the next day.
I have also tried soaking them and cooking them on the cooker but they never seem to soften.
I bought the peas from Mr S.
Any advice on what to do with them.
Tempted to go elsewhere for some.

Me too and I've got my split peas from various places. I find they just dont soften down in the SC even after soaking.

Olliebeak

I find that I need to soak yellow split peas - peas are notorious to thoroughly cook through.

Last weekend, I was struggling time-wise to do my Pea&Ham Soup, so started them off in the pressure cooker before adding to the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker.

One of the problems with the SC is 'what setting are you using when doing pulses?' I'd say you would need to have them on high AND I'd use pre-heated stock in the SC before putting everything else in it.

You're not opening the lid for a peep during the cooking period, are you? That can also set things back ages.


In fact the only pulse that I don't pre-soak is red lentils.

DrDaz

Could the problem be salt ? I know on a packet lentils they recommend not adding salt until the end as it can keep the lentils hard. Maybe it's the same with split peas.

zippychick

Hi

Cooking split peas without cooking may help or there is a main dried split peas thread . Pea and ham soup may also be useful

I'll merge this later for you
thanks
Zip

KittyBoo_2

DrDaz wrote: »

Could the problem be salt ? I know on a packet lentils they recommend not adding salt until the end as it can keep the lentils hard. Maybe it's the same with split peas.

I don't add any salt but it could be what's come from the ham.
Thanks for sending me off in the right direction.
I'll have a read at the posts you have suggested.
Thanks

cooking-mama

I wasnt successful with yellow split peas in my slow cooker even tho i had soaked them overnight first....they were in the slow cooker all day and all evening,by which time the ham and veg were overcooked..I ended up whopping everything in the pressure cooker...the peas eventualy softened but the soup was way too overcooked and ended up getting binned,wont do split peas in slow cooker again.