Guest guest Posted April 8, 2003 Report Share Posted April 8, 2003 This has never happened to me until recently, but the past three or four times I've soaked and cooked dried beans they didn't get soft. I've tried soaking them for 12 hrs or more, as well as boiling them for 2 minutes then soaking them. I've cooked them for excessive amounts of time and still they stay tough. The bf, in his efforts to eat healthier, made bean soup today. He soaked the beans (from a prepackaged bean soup medly) for 2 days (he intended to make it sooner, but ended up not able to), then cooked the soup for 89 hrs in the crockpot on low, and the beans were still tough. I have no idea what's going on, or what to do to remedy it. Any suggestions? Could it be that the beans are just old? -- Sherri " I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own. " - Woody Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 Sherri, If I had to guess, I'll bet your beans were old. If they were dried more than a year or two ago, they can be very difficult to cook tender again. I've especially noticed this problem with garbanzo beans. I have never, however, had this problem with lentils or split peas. Best wishes! Mary Boehler " I did not become a vegetarian for my health. I did it for the health of the chickens. " -Isaac Bashevis Singer Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 One more thing I just remembered - adding salt to the water you boil beans in can make them tough. Mary Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2003 Report Share Posted April 9, 2003 Well, as Mary already pointed out, it is likely due to adding salt or anything else to the water. Also, you needn't soak beans at all. Here is what I do and it never fails: Rinse and wash amount of beans you want to cook. Place them in a large kettle and cover with enough water. Heat on high until they begin a rapid boil. Time for 10 min. Turn off heat and cover and allow to set for 1 hour. Rinse and repeat this process. I do that b/c I read doing this two or more times helps cut down on the gas one gets from eating beans. Usually the beans are soft enough for me to use in recipes by the second boil-heat-soak. If not I simply add all the seasonings and cook according to whatever recipe I am using them in. Hope this helps. ~ PT ~ Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties. ~ Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910) ~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~> , Sherri <sherria@o...> wrote: > This has never happened to me until recently, but the past three or four > times I've soaked and cooked dried beans they didn't get soft. > I have no idea what's going on, or what to do to remedy it. Any > suggestions? Could it be that the beans are just old? > > -- > Sherri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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