Erica wrote:
> Hey,
>
> As I was soaking a pot of pinto beans, I wondered...is this really
> necessary? Is there any real reason to soak beans before cooking them?
>
> Thanks for any help.


In another life, I ran a macrobiotic catering business. I cooked beans
several times a week for years. I tried every method there is. I never
found a significant difference in the final result EXCEPT for starting
with fresher beans and the cooking liquid.


Use plain unsalted water, not vegetable stock, not tomato juice, not
with lots of vegetables in it, not vinegar, absolutely no salt or tamari
or other flavors. All that can be added later after the beans are
cooked to the desired tenderness.


Shop for beans from a store that has a good turnover on them. For me,
that meant the big supermarket, not the small, specialty, health food
store. Older beans can still be used, but they take longer to cook by
several hours.


With those 2 caveats, the boiling method is up to you and what you find
most convenient. Pre-soaking will shorten the cooking time but lengthen
the planning time. I decided I preferred not pre-soaking. Pressure
cookers shorten the cooking time too, but they took fussing with lids
and special equipment and needed to be kept a closer eye on. I decided
I liked a regular pot with a lid which I could stir every time I walked
by.


You can bring the beans and water to a boil, then turn off the heat or
bring them to a boil and lower to a simmer, or bring to a boil and cook
them at a fairly fast boil. The only important point is to keep
stirring them enough so they don't burn and stick to the bottom of the
pot. My preference is for the boil-then-simmer method, but that means I
had heat I could adjust. If you've got a stove with 2 settings of high
and off, you can do well with bring to a boil, then turn off until it
cools a little, then boil again, etc.


As for desired tenderness, I like them cooked until splitting, the
texture for soups or dip. If you watch them carefully, you can see when
they're just about to split and get them off the heat then. That's
right for bean salads.


--Lia