soaking beans?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2003
soaking beans?
3
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!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2004
In reply to: bakedtofu
Wed, 06-23-2004 - 9:21pm

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.



  1. Normal soak: Leave the beans to soak for 4-8 hours. This is the traditional and healthier method of soaking beans.
  2. Quick soak: Bring the beans to a boil for one minute, cover, and let sit for one hour.

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



  • 1 c dry beans yields 2½-3 c cooked.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2003
In reply to: bakedtofu
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 8:21am
This is how I do it.. even garbanzo beans. I buy the dry beans and soak them overnight, then I put them in the crock pot for 12 -14 hours until they're ready and soft. I have a small crockpot so I only do .5 packet at a time and usually put enough water to cover the beans (I leave like an inch of water above the beans). I don't add any seasonings. I just let them cool and refirigerate or freeze until I'm ready for my recipe. You can add hard (soaked) beans to any recipe and the crockpot does a beautiful job softening them but be aware that salt and other condiments prevent beans from softening and usually take longer if you add seasonings when they're still hard.

Hope this helps

Marta
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-25-2003
In reply to: bakedtofu
Thu, 06-24-2004 - 1:14pm
thanks for the tips! i'll give the soaking a try this weekend! (need to buy some tupperware to store them in first)