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Common Bean Myths (2006)
- Enginerrrd 5y agoOne thing I've learned is that freezing and reheating my chili dramatically reduces the resulting intestinal discomfort and gas production. I have no idea why.
- neonnoodle 5y agoIt may have to do with resistant starches?
- Enginerrrd 5y agoI'm inclined to agree, but I'm curious, do you know how freezing/thawing breaks down those starches?
- memco 5y agoWould love a TLDR after all that analysis: it's still a lot to digest (pun intended).
- GhettoComputers 5y agoMy suggestion: don’t soak your beans, cook them with saline, if you can use an instant pot or pressure cooker do it. If you want there to be less calories leave it out abs let it cool then when you reheat it you’ll get less calories: some of the carbs are now resistant starches.
- GrayShade 5y agoHow long do you keep them in the instant pot?
- Zababa 5y agoPSA: don't eat beans while they are cooking, you will get stomach cramps and vomit.
- yissp 5y agoProbably the toxin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytohaemagglutinin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytohaemagglutinin which requires cooking the beans for a while to destroy
- peanut_worm 5y agowere they kidney beans?
- Zababa 5y agoYes, they were.
- peanut_worm 5y agoit mentions it in the article but they are particularly toxic when uncooked
- silicon2401 5y agoOne thing I read once about beans is that their effects on you have to do with whether you have the right enzymes for them. I grew up eating rice and beans every single day of my life, and never had issues with flatulence associated with eating beans. A second, more important note is that an Instant Pot may be the best way to cook beans. I toss in cold, dry beans and water, and they're ready to eat in about 30m or so
- FredPret 5y agoNot only ready but softer than any other method of cooking can get them (at least when I’m the chef)
- dqv 5y agoI think there is something about the bacterial population in your gut building up (like those bacterial population curves) or gaining the genetic material to process beans. I started eating a lot more beans some months ago. At first it was horrible, I was a fart machine. By the third month on beans, I barely had any flatulence.
- jdally987 5y agoThis, and if I do have farting spells I don’t think it usually smells that bad Maybe I’m just flattering myself though
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- ChildOfChaos 5y agoI eat beans everyday as part of my diet and I love my instant pot! For sure the best way to cook beans!
- mule1 5y agoWhy did I think for a second this was going to be about java beans
- riffraff 5y agothe (2006) in the title brought back EJB 3.0 memories.
- a_c 5y agoI was confused when reading the first few sentences of the article, how is it related to java?
- eyelidlessness 5y agoI thought it was gonna be about coffee beans which is why I held off looking until I was tired.
- cogburnd02 5y agoThe Chicago sculpture The Bean (despite its appearance) is not a giant blob of solder.
- peanut_worm 5y agoEveryone talks about how cool the sculpture is but no one mentions the worlds largest soldering iron that was used to make it
- cogburnd02 5y agoOr the giant person holding that iron wrong in a stock photo.
- GhettoComputers 5y agoIt’s made by the same guy who bought the rights to vantablack. Never call it cloud gate: call it the bean.
- dsizzle 5y ago> There’s always controversy surrounding beans. Another topic to avoid this Thanksgiving!
- nanomonkey 5y agoAn old timer told me to soak beans until they stop foaming (producing bubbles), which takes about 3 days. I disregarded it then, but years later experimented with adding sourdough starter to the soak in an attempt to break down some of the indigestible starches. This lead me on a wild experimental phase of reading up on the lacto-fermention process. The Weston Price Foundation talks a lot about the problems of "anti-nutrients" like phytic acid and enzyme prohibitors in beans and grains. A preferment before cooking seems to eliminate these to the point where a final pressure cooking removes the rest. Drain the water, or slop some of the soak water in the next batch of beans to inoculate. I have found that if I let the soak go too long that a good deal of lactic acid builds up in the beans which causes them to take longer to cook. Rinsing well and then adding a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda seems to neutralize the added acidity. The beans are smooth inside and have a distinctly greater umami flavor, likely due to some protein breakdown into amino acids. Fun stuff.
- jdally987 5y agoSo wait, what would your quick & dirty advice be for the overall simplest way to achieve decent beans? I soak pintos (from the giant Walmart 20lb bags) overnight and into the instant pot for 22mins, but have noticed the same thing where if I get lazy and let them soak for almost 24hrs before cooking, they tend to come out way too firm and not satisfying at all. Wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination
- GhettoComputers 5y agoFor decent tasting beans don’t soak them at all, clean and boil them normally with some salt or bullion. Never soak your beans if you want them to taste good.
- nanomonkey 5y agoI eat a lot of beans, and not soaking the beans has always ended up giving me gas. Do you not experience this? As for flavor, I can't recall having more flavor coming from not soaking the beans. In fact I get more umami richness from a long soak.
- jihadjihad 5y agoI found this guide [0] from Serious Eats to be very informative; I've made beans a few times using their advice and every time they've come out great. Salt your beans, soak 'em if you want to/have time and you're not making beans with thin skins like black beans, add some aromatics and fat and you're well on your way to a delicious meal. Save the cooked bean broth and use it as veggie stock! 0: https://www.seriouseats.com/beans-legumes-pulses-varieties-recipes-cooking-tips https://www.seriouseats.com/beans-legumes-pulses-varieties-r...
- GhettoComputers 5y agoHave you ever tried not soaking it? Tastes much better, I never soak anymore. Didn’t make them cook faster, made them taste worst.
- lunatuna 5y agoLove the line: "Russ Parsons, author of “How to Read a French Fry”, says “Not soaking them [beans], really improves the flavor I’ve found.”" Thanks nkurz for posting. Great read.
- AnonHP 5y agoThat was a lot to take in, with no hard conclusions on some aspects. I usually soak beans using the quick soak method (put washed beans in boiling water, turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for an hour or two) or an overnight soak. I throw the soaking water (this is to get rid of phytic acid/antinutrients) and then use fresh water to cook the beans in a pressure cooker. The issue with foam happens only with some beans or lentils. For those, either dry roast them first before cooking in water or scoop off the foam for a minute while it’s on full boil and foaming. Some beans can be cooked without soaking. But I’ve found that chickpeas do come out better with a soak. Same for kidney beans too, but they don’t require as much soaking.