Tell me more ×
Seasoned Advice is a question and answer site for professional and amateur chefs. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 6 down vote favorite

I'm guessing there are different answers depending on the type of dried bean (pinto, kidney, navy, white, etc.) and I am interested in all of them.

So: how long should dry beans be soaked?

Should the water be just tap water, or salted?

Should the soaking water be discarded or used later?

Thanks!

share|improve this question
1  
The soak water is great for watering plants with - it's slightly fertile. – user9243 Feb 22 '12 at 21:39
"Should the water be just tap water, or salted?" is answered on cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/20754/… – Mien Feb 22 '12 at 23:52

2 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

Overnight is ideal, but even an hour or two will help. If you don't have much time, you can speed the processs by using hot water. Tap water, and not salted - salt toughens the skin of beans if it used before they are cooked. Most folks discard the soaking water, as it is thought to produce flatulence. Also, if you have a pressure cooker, you can cook dried beans without a pre-soak and get great results.

share|improve this answer
Good answer. Also, the soaking water can have dirt in it, which you might not want to eat! That's an argument for at least rinsing your beans before you pressure cook them! (And in my experience, soaking beans before pressure cooking does improve the texture...) – Harlan Sep 2 '10 at 20:38
up vote 0 down vote

An alternative to pre-soaking is pre-cooking. I have 200g borlotti beans and tomato sauce in the oven right now in a covered casserole. After three hours cooking at 110C I'll take them out and leave them covered until I get home from work after which time they should be nice and soft.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.