Adding salt at the wrong stage of a meal can RUIN it.

 

When cooking dried beans, lentils, and pulses don't add any salt (or anything else in the water) until they are fully cooked.

 

Cook all dried beans ALONE in WATER until they are fully cooked. Don't even add veggie broth until they are fully cooked.

 

When the dried beans are fully cooked and mushy, then add the salt, spices, veggie broth, veggies, etc.

 

Beans and legumes have a skin on them that tightens up when it comes in contact with salt and other ingredients like tomatoes, lemons, etc. This stops the water from getting inside the bean and cooking it. Even if you cook beans for hours, they will come out rock hard if there's a trace of salt or acid in the water. That's why we don't cook beans in veggie broth. Veggie broth has salt and other ingredients. That small trace of salt and acid also causes the skin to tighten up and prevents the beans from cooking. 

Always add salt  and other ingredients to beans AFTER they are fully cooked.

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