soaking beans?
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soaking beans?
| Wed, 06-23-2004 - 3:17pm |
i've been eating so many beans on the sb that i decided i should start buying them in bulk and soaking them (instead of getting the canned). got them home and realized i have no idea what to do...
does anyone know how to soak beans (in particular garbanzo beans)?
thanks!

Hope this helps:
Washing Beans and Legumes
Before using beans and legumes, rinse them thoroughly under cool water, then sort through them for any stones or other debris. If using lentils, mung beans, or split peas, skip the soaking section and go right to the cooking instructions. If using anything other kind of beans, continue to the next step: soaking.
Soaking Beans and Legumes
All dry beans and legumes except lentils, mung beans, and split peas should be soaked before cooking. Soaking shortens the cooking time and makes the beans more digestible. To soak, cover the washed beans with four times their volume of water, then choose one of these soaking techniques.
The beans are soaked once they are uniformly soft.
After soaking, you have the choice of 1. draining the soaking water, rinsing the beans, and cooking with fresh water, or 2. cooking with the soaking water. The former reduces flatulence, while the latter provides more nutrients.
Cooking Beans and Legumes
Whether reusing soaking water or adding fresh, there should be twice as much water as beans. Boil furiously, uncovered, for ten minutes. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until tender.
Tips
Hope this helps
Marta