You can use canned legumes right out of the tin. But they’ll work better in many recipes (which call for processing or puréeing them) if you tenderize them first. How do you do that? You can cook the living daylights out of them. Or treat your beans with baking soda first…
Sheesh! Here’s another kitchen secret my Mom let me in on when I was still in elementary school. She cooked a lot of beans – I especially remember her amazing baked beans – and she always got the baking soda out for the job. And by the time I was ready to make my own baked beans, I’d forgotten it!
It’s easy and fool-proof
Mom always added a little baking soda to her beans as they soaked overnight, before cooking them. Just a good pinch – the experts say, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. per cup of dry beans – was all that was required.
The alkalinity of the soda got through the beans’ skins and started to break down the starchy proteins inside. It made cooking faster and the end product more tender.
If you still prefer to start with dry beans – or Split Peas, or Garbanzos/Chick Peas, Lentils, or whatever – that’s all you need to know. But if you are used to using canned bans, the routine goes a little differently.
Works on canned beans, too…
Many recipes today all for canned beans. Because they’ve been par-cooked in the can during packed. And they’ve been soaking in water in the can.
Drain and rinse the canned beans thoroughly before cooking. Then cover them with fresh, cold water in the pot and add your baking soda – again, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Cook as usual, stirring occasionally and watching for doneness. They will definitely cook faster than beans right out of the can.
What happens
As we said, the soda gets into the beans, breaking down their natural pectin – which, if untreated, is what makes them harder to cook. And ultimately causes gas in folks who are susceptible to the toots.
I’ve found that soaking any dry legume in a baking soda solution also makes them easier to process after cooking. That is, your Hummus will be smoother and creamier if you treat your Chick Peas with soda. And your Black Beans will purée easier and more smoothly when you’re making Refritos…
My take
You probably already have a box of Cow Brand or Arm and Hammer in the house. Remember to use it next time you cook beans! You’ll be glad you did…
~Maggie J.