On Sat, 29 May 2010 21:16:50 -0500, "Dan Goodman" >
wrote:

>Ranée at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> "john hamilton" > wrote:
>>
>> > Forgot to soak my dried black eyed beans overnight yesterday . I
>> > wondering what would be a minimum time to soak them today, to be
>> > able to cook them this evening? Thanks for advice
>>
>> If the beans/peas are relatively fresh, you can do it for two to
>> three hours. If they are old, it can take up to eight hours.
>
>Back when misc.survivalism was actually about survivalism, one poster
>found some dried beans which were a decade or so past their pull date.
>
>He was able to use them; but they took a looong time to cook.

The age of dry beans has not a whit to do with cooking time... beans
are seeds, if they'll sprout they're not too old to cook (thousand
year old beans discovered in Mayan ruins sprouted). Bean growers
store beans in giant humidors with controlled temperature and
humidity, typically beans are maintained with an optimum 6%-8%
moisture content. There is no telling the age of beans at your
market... if not damaged during storage beans cook exactly the same
whether 1 year old or 1,000 years old. If your beans are not cooking
properly it's you, not the beans. What does affect bean cooking time
is altitude and especially water hardness. Beans should never be
boiled, cook at a bare simmer. Contrary to what many think canned
beans are not cooked in the can nor are they pressure processed, they
are slow cooked in giant vats, the cans are heated only enough to
ensure a proper seal.