Why soak beans

Keep in mind that pinto beans are small, and that cooking times will vary depending on bean type. Our feeling: Why bother? After our first test, this myth became a moot point—if you don't soak your beans, you're always going to cook in fresh water. But diehard bean soakers will still want to know whether they should drain their soaked beans and refill the pot with fresh water, or cook their beans in the water they were soaked in. When we tested this, the beans cooked in the soaking liquid were much more flavorful, had a prettier, darker color, and retained their texture better.

Man, people are just really attached to this soaking idea. If it's not an overnight soak, it's the so-called quick soak: a method where you cover beans in water, bring them to a boil, turn off the heat, and then let the beans sit in the water for an hour.

We tried this method, and although the cooking time didn't vary much the quick-soaked beans cooked just 5 minutes faster than the overnight soaked ones and 15 minutes faster than the no-soak beans , the flavor was our favorite of the bunch.

If you cook beans without a lid, some say, the result will be a firmer bean. Keeping the lid on? Your beans will be creamy. When we tested both methods, we found the beans with the lid cooked about 15 minutes faster, but the flavor of the beans cooked with the lid off was much better. This is because the liquid reduced more, creating a more flavorful bean broth that coated the beans. Cooking dried beans is simple, but we heard that the process could be simplified even more by placing the pot in the oven.

The beans ended up pretty creamy, but they took much longer to cook, and they didn't taste very good—according to my colleague Anna Stockwell, they tasted "water-logged. One of the most persistent myths about how to cook dried beans involves salt. Some recipes advise not to add salt until the very end of cooking, because salt keeps beans from getting tender. Other recipes say to add it in the beginning, because, well, salt is flavor, and we're going to eat these beans, aren't we? In our test, we compared a batch cooked with salt added at the beginning against a batch made with salt added at the end, and guess what?

The beans that were salted early on were more tender. Even legumes such as lentils or split peas that do not necessarily require any pre-soaking due to their small size, will reap the benefits from soaking such as reduced gas and lower phytate content, even if soaked for just a few hours. Should I add baking soda while beans are soaking?

Some recipes call for adding baking soda to the cooking water. The downside is that it can result in some nutrient loss.

There have also been studies that indicate adding baking soda to the soaking water helps break down the gas-causing raffinose sugars but recent research indicates that soaking overnight for 12 hours in plain water or baking soda water will yield the greatest reduction in gas producing substances.

How long do beans take to cook after soaking? Cooking time will vary depending on how long they were pre-soaked i. Small legumes such as lentils may only take 15 minutes but most average sized beans will take about 1 hour cooking at a a low simmer. Other larger varieties may take up to several hours so continue to check through the cooking process. Keep beans at a gentle simmer while cooking, not a rolling boiling, to keep skins intact and result in a tender creamy consistency on the inside.

Should any salt be added to the liquid when cooking dried beans? For optimally seasoned beans, add about 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt per quart of water during soaking process, rinse the beans before cooking and then add just a pinch to the cooking water — don't go overboard since it will be very hard to fix over-salted beans once they are cooked.

If on a low-sodium diet, however, avoid adding salt at any stage. To maximize flavor in place of salt, try cooking beans in unsalted vegetable stock or using kombu and other aromatics in the cooking liquid.

How should beans be stored after cooking? Cool beans in their own cooking liquid and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days. For longer shelf life, freeze beans also in their liquid for up to 6 months. What is the yield for dried beans to cooked beans? Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Beans and Other Legumes: Cooking Tips. Mayo Clinic. Impact of household food processing strategies on antinutrient phytate, tannin and polyphenol contents of chickpeaas Cicer arietinum L.

Internatonal Journal of Food Science and Technology. July 06, Kenji Lopez-Alt. Serious Eats. Published September 1, Last Updated: October 31, Shadix, Kyle. Today's Dietitian. Published January Effect of processing on flatus-producing factors in legumes. Food Chem. The role of phytic acid in legumes: antinutrient or beneficial function?. J Physiol Biochem. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFit. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

All of these tests were done with commonly available varieties -- pinto and white northern -- that had been purchased from stores that seem to sell a lot of beans. In fact, the age of the bean may be the most important factor. Dried beans continue to lose moisture as they sit. With very recently picked beans -- say, the Scarlet Runners I pick and shell in the summer in my back yard -- a quick simmer is all that is necessary.

Actually they are quite good even raw when doused with a little olive oil, mint or basil and salt. On the other hand, those dried flageolet beans you bought on a whim a couple of years ago that have been sitting in the back of the pantry ever since may be quite dry.

In fact, with these beans, soaking may be necessary to bring the cooking time down to a matter of hours, rather than days. Finally, it was time to put the beans to the final test -- cooking them in recipes.

What good is science, after all, if it is not in the service of mankind? The results were gratifying: In every case, the dishes were done in almost the same amount of time as the originals.

And the textures and flavors of the beans were much improved. There is no getting around it -- beans cause flatulence. The degree to which different beans affect different people varies, but the truth is inescapable.

And there seems to be little a cook can do about it. Whether to soak beans prior to cooking or not is simply a culinary question. Louis B. Rockland, who has been studying beans even longer -- first at Albany and now with his own research firm, Food Tech Research in Placentia, concurs.

The problem with beans is well documented. At its root are two factors. Second, beans contain complex sugars called alpha-galactosides. The human body does not produce enzymes to digest these sugars. Mainly raffinose and stachyose, they pass through the stomach undigested until they reach the large intestine. There they ferment, producing gases -- hydrogen, carbon dioxide and -- in some people -- methane.

The rest is faux pas. It was thought that soaking beans in cold water leached these sugars out of the bean. Throw away the water and you throw away the gas -- it has a simple appeal.

These sugars are part of what the bean uses for nourishment as it grows into a plant, and the bean does not part with them gladly. Gray and his colleagues developed a method for extracting most of the alpha-galactosides from beans. The beans are boiled for three minutes effectively killing the bean and allowing the sugars to pass through the cell walls , then allowed to stand for two hours. That water is poured off and the beans are covered and soaked for another two hours. This casts doubt not only on this particular pre-soaking method but also on the effectiveness of enzyme additions, such as Beano, which supposedly supply the chemicals necessary to break down the problem sugars.

Recipes for a pot of lovely soup on the stove. Delicious recipes with less than calories. Russ Parsons is a former Food writer and columnist and the former editor of the Food section at the Los Angeles Times. Wes Avila to open a new Mexican restaurant in Hollywood next month.