Don’t know how this post got on to why the dried beans when rehidrated get bigger, I’m blonde this goes way oveer my head. The gas problem is soved with a simple addition of plain baking soda. The amount should be less than 1/4 tsp for a 1 cup dried pinto beans, I use 2 cups of the vegetable juice (like V8) and 2 cups cold water to start after the soak of 2 to 3 hrs. After they are cooked soft then turn up the heat to high again and add the soda, it will foam up a bit, gas. If you add 2 tablespoons of chili powder and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, then boil vigorously for 30 min. add a little more vegetable juice if they get to dry.
Never heard that, the only thing I’ve heard is that you soak [kidney] beans overnight and cook them in clean water to remove a toxin from the skins of the beans.
Dry kidney beans need to boil for at least 10 minutes to destroy the toxin. Some people cook them in slow cookers that don’t get hot enough to boil.
If you put beans in a container and add less water than can be absorbed by the beans then they can expand to a greater volume than the water and beans combined because they haven’t become mush yet and there will be air gaps between the beans. They could be compacted down to the original volume because the new volume also included air that wasn’t in the original mixture.
I added the underline. I think that’s the key. If you use enough water that the beans are still submerged after they’ve expanded to their full extent, then the volume will stay the same. If you don’t use enough water, then the beans will expand up out of the water, with space between the unsubmerged, and now stacked, beans.
Not only is there a chance that beans will fall out of the container if the container is too small, but the top beans won’t get a complete soaking and they’ll still be hard long after the beans that stayed in the water are cooked to falling apart.
The space between the elevated beans is the key to the change in volume. On earth, the space will be filled with air, but even without air, the space will be there. Proof once more that nothing is important.
From a volume standpoint, imagine a measuring cup
You put in 1C of dry beans
You add enough water to “cover”, let’s say the water level is at 1.05C
As the beans soak up the water, the water level will drop below the top of the beans. The beans at the bottom will have continuously available water, and will expand while the beans at the top get pushed out of the water by the larger beans below. The beans on top may not fully soak as a result.
So, choosing a “large pot” means one that will allow enough space for fully soaked beans, thus allow enough water to ensure those beans remain submerged throughout.
Epazote is used in Mexican cooking to help reduce the gas from beans. Be aware that, like cilantro, some people don’t like the taste. (It doesn’t taste like cilantro, more like, uh, some people say, like kerosene … so buy a small amount to try.)
Mentioned upthread in Chefguy’s post. It is a very distinct and strong flavor. It is one of several plants that is known colloquially as “stinkweed,” to give you an idea of its reputation. It takes a little getting used to, but is quite nice, IMHO.
ah roight, thanks for that. I don’t eat beans myself, I was vaguely remembering someone making something that had kidney beans in it and a fight breaking out about them being poisonous and needing to be soaked, boiled and nuked from orbit, or some such.
My experience: Lentils + water, bring to boil then simmer for approx. 1/2 hour or until tender = lots of gas.
Lentils + water, bring to boil, turn off heat and let soak 1 hr, then bring to boil and simmer approx. 1/2 hour = much less fartiness.
Lentils + water, bring to boil, turn off heat and let soak 1 hr, drain, rinse, refill, then bring to boil and simmer approx. 1/2 hour, then drain = very little gas, and also very little flavor.
I’m going to cook some beans. Does it matter whether I soak them first, or not?
Yes it is. About 5 1/2 years too late.
Glad this thread was revived. I was forgetting if having more gas was a feature or a bug.