Soaking white beans?

[PrincessFiona60]

I love my electric pressure cooker.

 

[Roll_Bones]

And guess who uses the most gas/electricity or whatever you and your wife cook with.

I thought the question was about soaking or not soaking beans?

Refrigeration is necessary when marinating meats, but not when soaking beans. Just a waste of energy.

We just had a pot of ham and white beans last week (had a nice ham bone from a Sunday roast ham). After cleaning and rinsing we soaked the beans overnight, uncovered on the counter. Drained the beans, then started the cooking process a little before noon the next day.

No, not necessary, but my personal preference. After all we all have personal preferences. Right?

I love my electric pressure cooker.

Do you soak your beans before using the pressure cooker method?
I haven't used one in ages.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Do you soak your beans before using the pressure cooker method?
I haven't used one in ages.

Yes...why? you ask...because my Mother did.

 

[jennyema]

I know some people on here don't agree with this but I stick with the old advice not to add salt at the beginning of cooking as I do find it toughens the beans. I add it when they are nearly done..

I have been soaking my beans in salted water for a few years now, per ATK.

"In recent testing, we’ve found that soaking dried beans in mineral-rich; hard tap water can toughen their skins. Some recipes recommend using distilled water to avoid this issue, but we’ve discovered a simpler solution: adding salt to the tap water, which prevents the magnesium and calcium in the water from binding to the cell walls, and it will also displace some of the minerals that occur naturally in the skins. We found that three tablespoons of salt per gallon of soaking water is enough to guarantee soft skins."

Cooking Beans 101 | Christopher Kimball Blog

Brining beans? Yes! - Home Cooking - Chowhound

 

[Roll_Bones]

Yes...why? you ask...because my Mother did.

I asked because I know a pressure cooker can soften a 2x4.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I've never cooked a 2x4...I've used a pressure cooker my entire life, since I could reach the knobs on the stove. I love using one and finally treated myself getting an electric.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I only use the pressure cooker to make my beans. From dry to fully cooked in an hour, with no soaking. I just rinse the beans, put them into the pressure cooker with water to rise two inches above the beans, and salt. Don't fill with more water than 2/3's up the sides of the pressure cooker. Bring to pressure, reduce heat until the weight is just barely moving, and cook for an hour. The beans are perfect every time.

Never add acidic ingredients to the beans until they are fully cooked. The acid reacts with the protiens, and keeps the beans from cooking/softening. Flavor and use the beans in whatever you're going to use the beans for.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[CWS4322]

I've wondered about those. Mine is the old-fashioned Prestige type with weights that spin when up to pressure. Not much fine-tuned control really so I don't use it for anything delicate.

I have three of the "old fashioned" pressure cookers (Presto?). I was always a bit nervous about using them since my mom had hers explode because she forgot it was on the stove...hence, why I treated myself to a digital, electric one.

 

[Mad Cook]

I have been soaking my beans in salted water for a few years now, per ATK.

"In recent testing, we’ve found that soaking dried beans in mineral-rich; hard tap water can toughen their skins. Some recipes recommend using distilled water to avoid this issue, but we’ve discovered a simpler solution: adding salt to the tap water, which prevents the magnesium and calcium in the water from binding to the cell walls, and it will also displace some of the minerals that occur naturally in the skins. We found that three tablespoons of salt per gallon of soaking water is enough to guarantee soft skins."

Cooking Beans 101 | Christopher Kimball Blog

Brining beans? Yes! - Home Cooking - Chowhound

Interesting. A very small proportion of salt then - probably not enough to season the beans though. I didn't know about soaking in salted water but a lot of old recipes tell you to put some bicarbonate of soda* in the soaking water. (*Sorry, I meant baking soda)

 

[Mad Cook]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Cook
And guess who uses the most gas/electricity or whatever you and your wife cook with.

I thought the question was about soaking or not soaking beans?

Er, yes!

And my answer was to a poster who said that he and his wife differed in this. If you soak beans before cooking they cook quicker than if you cook un-soaked one. Therefore soaked beans cook quicker than un-soaked ones, using less gas/electricity or whatever you cook with.

Do you understand the connection to the question now?