I developed my fondness for beans when pregnant with my second baby. Of my own volition, I adopted a “bean” diet to reduce the risks of having gestational diabetes and the subsequent complication of having a baby too big to deliver naturally. Back then we did not know that beans increase the now famous GLP-1 hormones all the popular diabetes/weight loss drugs also increase. What I did know at the time was a diet centered around beans decreased my blood sugar readings and would help me stay off my OB’s radar for having gestational diabetes (I preferred to have as natural a pregnancy as possible).
Thirty years ago, there were not Continuous Glucose Monitors or even the ability to do the now standard A1-C test. They determined gestational diabetes by how your blood sugar reacted every half hour over several hours after consuming more sugar than I’d consume in a month. I had had an elevated blood sugar reading at my four month appointment and was being sent for the gestational diabetes test. I asked the doc to give me two weeks on my “bean” diet with the promise I’d stay on it the remainder of the pregnancy. It only took two weeks on the bean diet to get my blood sugar under control. I passed the gestational diabetes test.
My baby was healthy and just under 8 pounds (and oddly enough she is now a registered dietician and diabetes educator extolling the virtues of that “bean” diet).
Back then I consumed a variety canned beans and occasionally started from the dried beans. But I didn’t stray too far from black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, or pinto beans.
Flash forward 30 plus years to today, and my bean game has expanded significantly (as have the tools to easily start from the original bean).
Here is what I do now to prep beans:
Clean the beans. There is often little bits of stuff in the beans no one wants to eat – rocks, dirt, etc. Pick out the obvious bad actors, then rinse in cold water.
Pre-soak the beans. There are several reasons to do this:
- 1. Reduces Cooking Time:
- Soaking beans softens them, which significantly shortens their cooking time. Without pre-soaking, beans can take much longer to become tender during cooking.
- 2. Improves Digestibility:
- Beans contain oligosaccharides, complex sugars that some people find hard to digest, leading to gas and bloating. Soaking beans can help reduce these sugars and make the beans easier on the stomach.
- 3. Removes Anti-Nutrients:
- Beans contain compounds like phytates and lectins, which can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients. Pre-soaking can help remove some of these compounds, making beans healthier to consume.
- 4. Improves Texture:
- Pre-soaking can help beans cook more evenly, resulting in a creamier texture, especially when slow-cooking or making soups and stews.
Avoid Acid until Beans are fully Cooked
- Acidity toughens beans: Tomatoes are acidic. Vinegar is acidic, and adding acid to beans during the pre-soak or early cooking stages can interfere with their ability to soften. Acidity reinforces the structure of the bean’s cell walls, making them tougher and lengthening the cooking time. For this reason, acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, or tomatoes should be added after the beans have fully softened during cooking.
Use baking soda and salt in the beans pre-soak for added benefits.
- Speeds Up Softening:
- Baking soda, an alkaline substance, raises the pH of the soaking water, which helps break down the pectin in the bean skins. This softens the beans more quickly and can shorten the overall cooking time even further.
- Reduces Gas-Causing Compounds:
- Baking soda reduces the oligosaccharides that cause digestive discomfort, further improving the digestibility of beans.
- Maintains Color:
- Baking soda can also help beans retain their vibrant color during cooking, which is a nice bonus for presentation, especially with colorful beans like yellow-eyed beans.
- Caution with Baking Soda:
- Be careful not to use too much baking soda. A pinch (about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per quart of water) is usually enough. Overuse can cause the beans to become mushy or overly soft and can leave a slightly soapy or unpleasant taste.
- Adding Salt to the pre-soak:
- Recent kitchen tests show adding a small amount of salt to the soaking water (about 1–2 teaspoons per quart) is beneficial. The salt helps beans retain their shape, prevents them from bursting, and seasons the beans more evenly, making them tastier. It also helps them cook more evenly by breaking down some of the pectin in the skin.
Create Magic with Water and Beans
- Ratio of water to beans
- To pre-soak the beans, the rule of thumb is 3-4 times the water to volume of beans. This means for every cup of dried beans, you need a quart of water for soaking
- Time to soak the beans – the old adage is overnight (8 – 12 hours). Here are some rules of thumb:
- When using baking soda (1/4 th tsp per quart of water/cup of beans) – reduce the time 25-50%
- You can do a quick soak by bringing the beans and water to a quick boil, then let them sit, off the heat for an hour or two.
- When doing an overnight (or longer soak) food safety experts suggest keeping the soaking beans in the fridge.
- Sometimes life gets away from us and the beans might soak longer than you anticipated. Try to rinse them every 8 hours, add fresh water, baking soda, and put back in the fridge.
- Soak based on the size of the bean
- The smaller the bean the less soaking required – lentils, split peas,adzuki, and mung beans often don’t require soaking as they cook quickly. Only soak for a short time to get more nutrition from the bean.
- Larger beans like chickpeas, fava beans, and soybeans require longer soaking times – 33% more time.
- Rinse well after soaking BEFORE cooking – you don’t want to use this water as it has taken much of the anti-nutrients out of the beans.
- Suggest soak times for a cup of beans and 4 quarts of water without baking soda or salt (we suggest adding 1/4th tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt and reducing time by 25%)
You can also add in certain spices and vegetables to reduce the gassiness of beans (you can put these in a little cloth bag and remove them after your beans are done cooking).
- Bay Leaves: Adding one or two bay leaves to beans while cooking can reduce gassiness.
- Cumin: Known for aiding digestion, cumin is often added to bean dishes for this purpose.
- Ginger: Fresh or dried ginger helps ease digestion and is believed to minimize gas.
- Epazote: A traditional Mexican herb that’s effective for reducing bean-related gas.
- Fennel Seeds: Known for their digestive properties, fennel seeds can be added during cooking or as a garnish
- Carrots: Adding a few slices or chunks to the pot during cooking can help absorb some of the gas-producing compounds
- Celery: Known for aiding digestion, celery can be added to the pot to help reduce gas.
- Fennel: Similar to fennel seeds, fresh fennel bulbs can also help reduce gas when cooked with beans.
Beans vary in their gas-producing potential due to the levels of oligosaccharides they contain. Here’s a list, from the least likely to cause gas to the most:
- Lentils: Generally easier on digestion, especially red lentils.
- Split Peas: Similar to lentils, split peas are less likely to cause gas.
- Black-eyed Peas: Often easier to digest than other beans.
- Edamame (Green Soybeans): Moderate in gas production but easier than mature soybeans.
- Pinto Beans: Can cause moderate gas, but usually not as much as larger beans.
- Black Beans: Known to cause more gas than the beans listed above but manageable.
- Kidney Beans: Higher in oligosaccharides, making them more gas-producing.
- Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans): These have higher fiber and oligosaccharides, often leading to more gas.
- Navy Beans: Particularly high in oligosaccharides, making them one of the more gas-producing beans.
- Soybeans: Especially high in oligosaccharides, making them one of the most gas-producing beans.
Cooking methods, soaking, and adding gas-reducing spices can also help reduce gas production, no matter the bean.
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- 1. Black Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 2. Pinto Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 3. Kidney Beans (Red or White):
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1-2 hours
- 4. Navy Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1-2 hours
- 5. Great Northern Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 6. Cannellini Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 7. Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans):
- Traditional Soak: 12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1-2 hours
- 8. Lentils:
- No soaking required (lentils cook quickly without soaking).
- 9. Black-Eyed Peas:
- Traditional Soak: 4-6 hours (can be cooked without soaking but will take longer).
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 10. Butter Beans (Lima Beans):
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 11. Adzuki Beans:
- No soaking required (these beans are small and can cook without soaking).
- 12. Fava Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 12-24 hours (larger beans require longer soaking).
- Quick Soak: 2 hours
- 13. Mung Beans:
- No soaking required (they cook quickly without soaking).
- 14. Yellow Eye Beans:
- Traditional Soak: 8-12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1 hour
- 15. Soybeans:
- Traditional Soak: 12 hours
- Quick Soak: 1-2 hours
- 1. Black Beans:
Now you’re ready to cook your beans. These will cook quickly in a pressure cooker – 5 – 10 minutes top. A bit longer on the stove top or the microwave. If you’re cooking them as part of a soup or stew, make sure to cook them BEFORE adding acidic ingredients such as lemon, tomatoes or vinegar.