Soaking Beans

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

>to speed up the soak, add a little bit of baking soda

>

>mike

 

But you'll lose some of the B vitamins that way.

 

Annice

[Guest guest]

I'm enjoying this 'bean' thread. I think we probably all prepare and cook beans

according to whatever method is convenient and easy for us. Each method will

vary to some degree. Here's how I cook beans:

 

Wash beans and place in kettle. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 5

minutes. Turn off heat and allow beans to sit in cooking water until it has

cooled (I leave it on a cool burner on the stove to cool). I usually do this

the night before I want beans for a meal, so --- in the morning ---

 

Drain the beans of all the cooking water. Fill kettle with fresh water and

return to heat. Cook about 1 hour plus (the longer the cooking time, the nicer

the beans). Then, add salt and any other ingredients.

 

This method usually always results in very tender, delicious beans --- and the

nasty enzymes were all washed out with the initial rinse.

 

 

LaDonna

[Guest guest]

I learned my current quick and easy method of soaking beans from the

packages of Seed Saver heirloom beans (

http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=M3023 <---lovely organization,

lovely gift to give or receive!). The packages say to bring a large pot of

water---5 or 6 inches deep---to boil. After it has boiled, turn off the

eye. Add the beans. Soak for one hour. Rinse, and cook with fresh water

or broth at a high simmer for 45 minutes.

 

I love this methodology, because it allows me to decide I am going to cook

beans and get it done all in one evening, instead of having to plan ahead by

a day. I also love exploring the history, tastes, and textures of the

various heirloom beans I have gotten as gifts each year! Of course, the

method works just as well with non-heirloom beans, and I use those, too.

The only catch is that if your beans are more than a year old (and it can be

hard to know, sometimes, how long they've sat at a store) or are very large,

then you may need to cook them a bit longer than 45 minutes.

 

Sally

 

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 12:18 PM, ilovetocookvegan2 <

gracioushospitality wrote:

 

>

>

> I'm enjoying this 'bean' thread. I think we probably all prepare and cook

> beans according to whatever method is convenient and easy for us. Each

> method will vary to some degree. Here's how I cook beans:

>

> Wash beans and place in kettle. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for

> about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and allow beans to sit in cooking water until

> it has cooled (I leave it on a cool burner on the stove to cool). I usually

> do this the night before I want beans for a meal, so --- in the morning ---

>

> Drain the beans of all the cooking water. Fill kettle with fresh water and

> return to heat. Cook about 1 hour plus (the longer the cooking time, the

> nicer the beans). Then, add salt and any other ingredients.

>

> This method usually always results in very tender, delicious beans --- and

> the nasty enzymes were all washed out with the initial rinse.

>

>

>

> LaDonna

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

" If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two

aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. If it

persists, you probably ought to write a novel. "

—Lawrence Block, Writing the Novel From Plot to Print

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I agree that the long soaking process that I use does seem arduous, and

having to wait for them can be problematic.

 

To solve that problem, I started soaking double batches up to the point of

readiness to cook, then I bag half of them in the deep freeze.

 

When I want to use them, I plop the frozen beans straight into the pot and

they thaw rapidly as the water heats to the boil.