# Soaking dry beans overnight in vegetable broth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742 "2019-03-08T04:57:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/1 "2019-03-08T04:57:32Z")
I have always soaked dry beans overnight in water. I am going to prepare a smoked ham shank and black beans. I have a quart of store bought vegetable broth. Any problems with soaking the dry beans in the broth? Thanks for your replies. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/2 "2019-03-08T04:59:42Z")
Salt will make the skins tough, I have heard. It needs to be added last. But you really do not need to soak the beans if you can cook them long enough (in enough water for them to expand). ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/3 "2019-03-08T05:02:12Z")
Traditionally, the soaking liquid is discarded - is that what you usually do? Are you planning on doing so now? Seems like the makings of an experiment, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/4 "2019-03-08T12:46:39Z")
I like speaking then, first, because i think discarding the soaking water makes the beans less gas-inducing. I wouldn’t want to toss out the vegetable broth. And I’ve heard the same about adding salt last. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/5 "2019-03-08T13:00:47Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Salt will make the skins tough, I have heard. Salt actually makes the beans more tender. This is an old cooking myth. ETA, oh, since it’s the Dope, [citation](https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/salt-beans-cooking-soaking-water-good-or-bad.html): > [@](#): > > According to Cook’s Illustrated, it all has to do with the calcium and magnesium ions in bean skins. As the beans soak and cook, sodium ions in salted water will gradually replace some of those calcium and magnesium ions, which in turn allows for greater water penetration into bean cells. This is particularly true of the tough outer skins of beans. > > […] > > Moral of the story? Make sure to salt your bean-soaking water to the tune of one tablespoon per quart (15 grams per liter), and season the bean-cooking water as well. Just don’t season the cooking water too heavily—it can reduce and become too salty to eat as the beans cook. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/6 "2019-03-08T13:20:21Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Traditionally, the soaking liquid is discarded - is that what you usually do? Are you planning on doing so now? > > Seems like the makings of an experiment, for sure. I never discard the soaking liquid. It has flavor. And keeps the beans black. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/7 "2019-03-08T13:39:10Z")
There is a thing called “aquafaba”, which is the water that beans are cooked in (e.g., from a can of unflavored beans). It can be turned into meringue, although, obviously, not if there is other stuff in it. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/8 "2019-03-08T14:03:09Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > I never discard the soaking liquid. It has flavor. And keeps the beans black. Agreed, plus by discarding the soaking liquid, you lose nutrition. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Salt actually makes the beans more tender. This is an old cooking myth. > > ETA, oh, since it’s the Dope, [citation](https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/09/salt-beans-cooking-soaking-water-good-or-bad.html): Also, agreed. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/9 "2019-03-08T14:18:40Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Agreed, plus by discarding the soaking liquid, you lose nutrition. Supposedly it leaches out things like raffinose (a complex sugar) that we don’t metabolize, but our gut bacteria do with relish, producing a lot of gas in the process. The jury’s out though, as to whether this is actually true- some studies say yes, others say no. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soaking-dry-beans-overnight-in-vegetable-broth/830742/10 "2019-03-08T21:32:51Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Supposedly it leaches out things like raffinose (a complex sugar) that we don’t metabolize, but our gut bacteria do with relish, producing a lot of gas in the process. I don’t personally care if my noxious gas emissions reach critical levels. I rather enjoy the solitude.