Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>
>>On Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:19:41 -0700, Lin wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Dimitri wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Normally I only soak or pre-soak beans if I am making baked beans or
>>>>something like that. For Bean soup I seldom soak the beans it doesn't
>>>>seem to be necessary. Certainly not soaking the beans involves a longer
>>>>simmer time. However the long simmer time I think help create a thicker
>>>>texture to the soup/broth..
>>>
>>>My mom never did a pre-soak on beans. Just the long simmer. I don't do a
>>>pre-soak on the smaller beans, but I do a quick boiling water soak with
>>>pintos. The initial rinse after that seems to get rid of some of the
>>>"dirtiness" that can occur in the taste and gives me a chance to
>>>eliminate any of the bad beans that might have slipped through the
>>>initial sorting.
>>>
>>>--Lin
>>
>>i don't know why people object to the pre-soak. you do have to plan one
>>day ahead, but there's no more work involved, and actual cooking time is
>>reduced by an hour or more.
>>
>>your pal,
>>blake
>
>
> Pre-soaking also makes beans more tender imho.
> I sometimes pre-soak for up to 3 days. I'm just VERY careful about
> changing the water and rinsing once or twice per day! Otherwise they
> spoil.
>
> Dad prefers his beans sprouted. <g> Don't ask me why...

I don't pre-soak at all, i find the un-soaked beans to be less
productive of flatulence, but i also skim off the foam that occurs at
the beginning of cooking with un-soaked beans. Only after the initial
cooking and skimming of the beans (the first 20 minutes or so) do i
begin to add seasonings and other ingredients.

I was once told, i don't know if its true or not, that soaking beans for
24 hours or more can cause them to start to ferment and thus produce
more intestinal gas when eaten.
--
JL