senior chef
Senior Member
If you have ever had a problem getting your dried beans soft then it may be due to the age of the beans.
Normally, dried beans can last for years if they have been kept in a dry, dark place. However, the beans may be quite old by the time you buy them. No use by date ? Then you have no way of knowing how old they really are.
After cooking them for hours and hours , it can be very frustrating to STILL HAVE hard beans. You may even have to toss them out.
Several steps to insure that you get a nice soft bean even if they are very old.
1.) For every 1 cup of dried beans, use 3 cups of soaking water.
2.) add 3/8 tsp of baking soda to the water before adding the beans.
3.) soak for 10-12 hours. The beans should have swollen noticeably.
4.) drain and rinse.
5.) Pour drained beans into a large pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a RAPID boil for 3 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let soak for another 5 hours.
6.) Drain AGAIN. this will dramatically reduce flatulence.
7.) Beans back in pot, add water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until beans are nice and soft.
************************************************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTE.
If you add any type of acidic ingredients, like tomato sauce, before beans are soft, it makes it very difficult to get soft beans.
When making any type of bean dish: baked beans, bean soup, pinto beans etc. I never add any ACID until beans are soft.
Normally, dried beans can last for years if they have been kept in a dry, dark place. However, the beans may be quite old by the time you buy them. No use by date ? Then you have no way of knowing how old they really are.
After cooking them for hours and hours , it can be very frustrating to STILL HAVE hard beans. You may even have to toss them out.
Several steps to insure that you get a nice soft bean even if they are very old.
1.) For every 1 cup of dried beans, use 3 cups of soaking water.
2.) add 3/8 tsp of baking soda to the water before adding the beans.
3.) soak for 10-12 hours. The beans should have swollen noticeably.
4.) drain and rinse.
5.) Pour drained beans into a large pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Bring to a RAPID boil for 3 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let soak for another 5 hours.
6.) Drain AGAIN. this will dramatically reduce flatulence.
7.) Beans back in pot, add water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until beans are nice and soft.
************************************************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTE.
If you add any type of acidic ingredients, like tomato sauce, before beans are soft, it makes it very difficult to get soft beans.
When making any type of bean dish: baked beans, bean soup, pinto beans etc. I never add any ACID until beans are soft.
