"Travis McGee" > wrote in message
...
> http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-ca...018-story.html
>
> Soaking beans? In most cases, you don't need to
>
> By Russ Parsons contact the reporter
>
> Rich, earthy, hearty — there's nothing quite so reassuring as having a pot
> of beans simmering in the oven when cool weather comes along. So why don't
> more people cook them? One of the main reasons is the planning that's
> required to soak them overnight before you start. I know the look — the
> idea that some people have meals planned a day in advance continues to
> astonish me.
>
> But here's the thing: In most cases you don't need to. Many years ago I
> set out to discover if there wasn't some way to shortcut the soaking and
> cooking process. What I learned surprised me. And it has allowed me to fix
> up a pot of beans for dinner whenever I like.
>
> "Almost every recipe in every cookbook you've ever read says you must soak
> dried beans before you cook them. In almost every case that advice is
> wrong." That's what I wrote when I first ran the experiments 20 years ago.
> And it's true.
> lRelated The Persimmon Paradox: Two very different fruits, same sweet
> flavor
>
> For most dried beans, you can simply put them straight into a pot and
> simmer them until tender without any soaking at all. Not only is it more
> convenient, it actually improves them. A lot. Beans cooked without soaking
> have a richer, fuller flavor. They taste more "beany." And the cooking
> broth is rich and thick as well.
>
> I can't claim this as my discovery, not when it's the way many Mexican
> cooks have been fixing beans for centuries. It's just knowledge that
> somehow had fallen by the wayside (just as we've forgotten that, as every
> Indian and Persian cook knows, we should soak long-grain rice for an hour
> or so before cooking).
> Beans cooked without soaking have a richer, fuller flavor. They taste more
> 'beany.' - Russ Parsons
>
> Doing without soaking does increase beans' cooking time — but for most
> varieties that's only by a matter of 20 to 30 minutes, and that's
> unaccompanied time anyway. Black beans, pinto beans, Great Northern beans,
> cannellini beans, navy beans, they all cook without a whiff of trouble.
>
> There are a couple of caveats. First, if you're using very old beans —
> ones that have been in the back of your pantry for a year or so, or that
> you bought from a store that doesn't turn over its stock — then they might
> have dried out so much that soaking is advisable.
>
> And there are some types of beans that do require soaking. I still soak
> chickpeas, of course (not technically a bean but a legume, so there you
> are).
>
> I also talked to my favorite bean expert, Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo (if
> you haven't tried its specialty beans, you're missing something). He said
> that, in general, he recommends always soaking beans from the runner
> species, Phaseolus coccineus. These are extremely large, dense beans that
> will become beautifully creamy when cooked — but they do need soaking to
> soften in a reasonable manner of time.
>
> Also, not soaking works best for beans for soups or stews. If you're going
> to be using the beans in salads or other dishes in which you want them to
> be separate and distinct, you should either soak them or at the very least
> give them a rinse after they've cooked.
>
> You want proof? Cook these black beans soaked and unsoaked and compare the
> two. Whenever I serve this recipe, people ask me what the secret
> ingredient is. And since cooking it without soaking requires all of 10
> minutes to put together, it's actually something you can fix all the time.
>
> Imagine that. An everyday pot of beans.

I know that you can cook without soaking. And I could be wrong here but I
thought that the soaking process helped to degass them. I also know that
soaking for too long can cause fermentation. Jaques Pepin says to be very
careful not to soak for too long. I always use the quick soak method now.

Put water over the beans. The owner of one of my favorite Mexican
restaurants told me to always use as much water as the pot will hold. Bring
to a boil and boil for 1-3 minutes depending on the type of bean. I think
it is kidney that needs the longest boil. Turn off heat. Instructions say
to cover but I never do.

Let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse.

Fill pot with water again, bring to a boil, turn down heat, cover. Cook
till done. Most beans that I've cooked are done within 45 minutes to
perhaps an hour and fifteen minutes. And that includes beans that have been
sitting in the cupboard for a year.

I do not usually buy bulk beans because there is no way of telling how old
they are. Now when Whole Foods first opened, I did buy bulk. New store, so
presumably new beans.

I have also learned that I can quick soak extra and put in the freezer.
This works much better for me than trying to freeze cooked beans or soup.
Takes up far less room than soup and they can easily be thawed in water as
it comes to a boil. They cook just like dry beans but you have shaved an
hour off because you don't have to soak them again.