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question on soaking beans


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Does it make any difference whether beans are soaked overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

Does either temperature affect how well they hydrate or do they spoil in the summer if not kept cold??? Thanks for any help you can give me.

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WELLLL; my opinion...I soak my beans on the counter when it is not hot, sticky & humid. I feel beans will sour in a short time under these conditions.

 

So yes, overnight in the fridge is my plan when temps & humidity rise. It does take longer, but food saftey is important.

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In survival mode you might want to think about using a window on the north side of your house.

 

Build a frame (critter proof), but it needs to be open so the breeze blows through... drape burlap over the box and keep wet.

Using a wicking method works (bucket on top filled with water and wick - fabric- inside touching the bottom of the bucket, draped over the bucket and touching the burlap) wet the burlap to get it started.

 

At night the cool air or breeze comes in and keeps milk, butter, and in this case beans cold.

 

You might also look at the solar oven funnel.. it also keeps items cold at night.

 

 

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I do the soak in hot water twice and then cook. No overnight soaking.

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I've never soaked beans at all and we eat them at least twice a week and then some. A couple good washings, pick out the uglies, rocks and balls of dirt, add whatever you want such as onion, celery, carrots, etc. and set them to cooking. I also add a spoonful of baking soda. Watch as they are cooking, you'll need to add more water as they cook down.

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I use the quick soak method. Bring the beans to a boil (include baking soda in the water), boil for 2-3 minutes, cover and remove from heat for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans (this really seems to reduce gas) and then cook with the recommended amount of water. I usually use homemade chicken or turkey broth instead of water.

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My understanding is that using the baking soda helps break down the bean to cook faster, but destroys some of the B vitamins.

Anyone remember anything on this?

Here it is -

http://www.centralbean.com/storeandsoak.html

Some cooks suggest adding a small amount of baking soda to the cooking water to soften it. We don’t recommend this because baking soda may give the beans a soapy flavor and its ability to improve the bean cooking process has not been proved. Amounts of baking soda over 1/8 teaspoon per cup of beans may destroy the thiamine (Vitamin B1) in beans. Thiamine is a valuable nutrient and one reason why beans have a reputation for being nutritious. If you have hard water and are in doubt as to whether or not to use baking soda, buy purified bottled drinking water – not distilled water – for soaking and cooking beans.

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Baking soda is supposed to quicken the cooking time, just a spoonful in a big pot of beans. Hubby swears it also helps remove the "pfttts" too! I've never thought about the baking soda robbing any nutrients from the beans, its just something I have always done without questioning. Always something new to learn!

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