Questions tagged [soaking]

Soaking refers to submerging foods in water for a certain amount of time. This process can be used for hydrating dry grains and seeds or to remove excess salt from preserved meats, for example.

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Why are some Chinese rice noodles cooked starting from cold water?

The vast majority of dry pasta/noodles are prepared by boiling water first and then adding them to the already boiling water. However, the instructions on some types of Chinese rice noodles (eg. 南昌拌粉 ...
3 votes
3 answers
4k views

Should I soak old-fashioned oats?

I have eaten quick cook oats for a while, but I now found a wholesale supplier selling what I think are old-fashioned oats. That is, the oats are larger and they seem less 'processed'. When I add ...
1 vote
1 answer
668 views

Nuts soaked and dried. Fridge or not?

I usually soak nuts overnight. I usually do this with walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. Then I dry them at low temperatures. After that, is it better to store them in the fridge or outside if I want a ...
2 votes
1 answer
355 views

Mold in walnuts

I usually soak and dry walnuts. It tastes much better. Unfortunately, last time, I found that it has developed mold. I soaked them for a night, I dried them for several hours at a very low temperature,...
1 vote
2 answers
14k views

Can I soak liver overnight in milk?

Can I soak liver in milk overnight? And if yes, does it matter if I soak it for 2 hours or overnight, or will there be no difference?
9 votes
2 answers
783 views

Are some dried beans drier than others?

I buy dried chickpeas to make hummus, and since I don't use tahini or oil, the softness of the beans is important. I typically quick-soak a cup of dried chickpeas with 1/4 tsp baking soda (bring them ...
5 votes
6 answers
50k views

How do you properly soak and cook barley?

I am going to be making a beef barley soup and need to soak the pearl barley overnight. There are no directions on the back of the package and so I am unclear on what to do. There is a recipe for a ...
0 votes
1 answer
85 views

Add salt or not to soaking Wheat? (for wheat porridge)

I just discovered using a rice cooker with a delay function! So I have started adding Cracked Wheat (not the parboiled Bulghur, but simply Cracked Wheat Berries) and water into the rice cooker where ...
14 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why are beans I soak myself always smaller than canned?

I've taken to buying bags of dried garbanzo beans instead of canned, however, no matter how long I soak them, they never expand to be as large as the canned, pre-cooked variety. This means when I try ...
3 votes
4 answers
12k views

Can I use only urad dal to make dosa?

I've been making dosa lately and was wondering if you could make the batter using only soaked urad dal (black lentils)? Or, do you have to include soaked rice, as well? I am diabetic, so I am trying ...
2 votes
0 answers
105 views

Are soaked pulses edible without cooking?

I soaked some horse gram overnight in plenty of water and forgot about it in the morning. In the afternoon, I remembered about it and noticed that they were soft enough to be eaten directly without ...
1 vote
1 answer
564 views

How can I know when are chickpeas done soaking?

I am trying to make tofu out of chickpeas with this Any Legume Tofu recipe (which seems like Burmese Chickpea Tofu), which states: Ingredients: 200g dried legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils) Method: ...
14 votes
3 answers
4k views

How can oak leaves be made edible?

Based on some research, it seems the leaves contain tannins and so I imagine some number of rounds of boiling are required to extract those/reduce them to an acceptable level. But the texture of oak ...
2 votes
3 answers
148 views

cooking dried legumes

most recipes I've tried say soak legume overnight and then cook for hours. with chick peas I found cooking for minutes was right and hours far too long. with lime beans even an overnight soak is too ...
4 votes
1 answer
6k views

When soaking beans, should I throw away the floating ones?

Soaking beans before cooking is a widespread practice. Another widespread practice is, before cooking rice, to spread it on a flat surface and remove stones or rotting grains. After soaking beans, ...
1 vote
1 answer
368 views

Dried garbanzo beans not expanding when soaked

I recently tried soaking dried garbanzo beans for the first time. The 'quick soak' method which involved boiling them for 5 minutes and then letting them sit an hour didn't seen to change their ...
18 votes
4 answers
92k views

How does adding baking soda to soaking beans/lentils reduce the gas they make you have?

I've heard a few times that adding a pinch of baking soda to the water you use to soak beans/lentils in, reduces the gas it makes you have. I've not do any measured experiments myself, but I have ...
6 votes
2 answers
585 views

Can I shorten bean soaking time if they'll be slow cooked?

I'm making something using butter beans (fasiola gigandes) which will be cooked for a long time (12+ hours) in a casserole dish with liquid covering them. Normally I would soak the beans first for a ...
17 votes
1 answer
49k views

Is it normal for the Chickpeas to develop white froth after being soaked for 12 hours?

Yesterday at 08:00 I had soaked white Chickpeas in water and left the container in the kitchen. Daytime temperature here is 44C. At 20:00 the same day I saw the container covered by white froth. Is ...
0 votes
1 answer
23k views

Soaked chia seeds do not swell as expected

I soaked chia seeds in milk overnight and kept them in the fridge. The next morning I did not find them very swelled. What can I do to improve this.
0 votes
1 answer
664 views

Should I close the vessel while soaking nuts?

If I want to eat nuts like mung bean, ground nut, etc., then I should soak them in water for certain amount of time before eating. Is it recommended to close the vessel used while soaking nuts? Why or ...
0 votes
0 answers
65 views

Soak or Ferment pulses?

What is the science behind soaking pulses? Any way to measure if soaking is complete/done well? What is fermenting of pulses do? What is the science behind it? Is it better to soak or ferment pulses?...
4 votes
1 answer
688 views

Is it safe to eat raw, soaked grains and seeds such as buckwheat?

I was wondering about the safety of frequently eating grains or seeds that have been soaked overnight, but not cooked. I'm thinking about buckwheat, barley, spelt, rye... Soaking in water with a bit ...
4 votes
4 answers
20k views

Is it safe to drink the water that basil seeds are soaked in?

Is it safe to drink the water that basil seeds are soaked in? Also would it be okay to drink that water with and/or without removing the soaked seeds? Thanks and regards :-)
3 votes
1 answer
7k views

Why do we need to soak dry Fenugreek leaves in warm water, and then sprinkle salt over them?

What's the benefit of soaking dry Fenugreek leaves in warm water and then sprinkling salt over them? From: http://www.everestspices.com/masalas/kasuri-methi Soak the Everest Kasuri Methi in ...
1 vote
0 answers
34 views

Soaked chick peas (overnight) smell like sour milk [duplicate]

I put chickpeas in cold water last night and let them soak overnight, at room temperature, about 14-16 hours total. Today when I took the cover off, there was white foam on top of the water. I dumped ...
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

How to properly soak urad beans?

So today I tried one of my (as I have recently learned not so genuine) Indian dishes: Dal Makhni (also Dal Makhani). There are different recipes, some mix urad beans with red kidney beans, I went for ...
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why boil mixture when soaking fruit in alcohol for churn-free ice cream

I found a recipe for a No-churn rum and raisin ice cream. In the recipe the first step is to put the raisins and rum in a saucepan and gently heat until boiling, transfer to a bowl, cover and leave to ...
4 votes
1 answer
216 views

How can I soak cake in cheese?

I can make cheesecake and I can make cake, but it occurred to me recently that cheesecake isn't cake soaked in cheese, Ala tres leches. So, is it possible to get cheese liquefied enough to be able to ...
1 vote
0 answers
7k views

Does soaking liver in water instead of milk work well?

I researched and found that milk reduces the absorption of iron in your body. I have low iron and was wondering if I can soak liver in water instead of milk. Is it possible to soak liver in water ...
17 votes
2 answers
104k views

How long can I store soaked beans before cooking?

I've soaked some beans in room temperature water overnight, since 6pm (white navy beans). How long can I keep them in water before I must use them? Will they last a day or so at room temperature ...
51 votes
2 answers
17k views

Why drain soaked rice?

When cooking black rice, I’ve been told I need to soak it for a few hours, then drain and finally cook with 1:3 parts regular rice (i.e., topped up with fresh water). Black rice is a type of ...
58 votes
18 answers
208k views

Why should I soak beans before cooking?

Every recipe says I should soak beans in water overnight before cooking. Why? I did some experiments. I have tried soaked and unsoaked beans from the same batch. There was no difference in cooking ...
11 votes
2 answers
67k views

Cooking beans with intact skins

When my grandmother would cook dry beans, she always soaked them overnight, and they came out "perfect" in the sense I liked, which was that the beans were soft, and in particular, the skins were ...
1 vote
1 answer
12k views

Are kidney beans that split and wrinkle during soaking process safe to consume?

After 5 hours of soaking I find my dried kidney beans' skin wrinkled and some split in two, however my main concern is phytohaemagglutinin and the fact now that some beans are split open and lost ...
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is soaking water usually discarded when making plant milk?

Most recipes that I see for soy and nut milks ask you to soak the seeds and discard the soaking water. The only plant milk recipe I've used that keeps the soaking water (Scratch Soy Milk by Andrea ...
1 vote
3 answers
5k views

Speeding up soaking of cashews for a recipe

I am trying to follow a Sri Lankan recipe that asks me to soak cashews overnight. Since I can't really wait that long, is there a way to speed up this process? Would putting it in hot water help the ...
6 votes
2 answers
6k views

Is 3 days too long to soak dried fruit for my fruitcake?

My fruitcake recipe calls for soaking dried fruit in molasses and wine overnight. I mixed that up and it's macerating in the fridge, but a surprise schedule change means I won't get it into a cake for ...
2 votes
2 answers
620 views

Poppy seeds tough after a long simmer

I was trying to boil some poppy seeds in some milk, along with some sugar and some lemon juice. After more than 1.5 hours of simmering this mixture, the seeds were still tough and crunchy, when some ...
2 votes
3 answers
5k views

Should Rice be soaked before cooking?

Is it necessary to soak rice every time before cooking.What happens if you don't soak rice? Does it effect the taste after cooking? If soaking is necessary then, How much time is required to soak rice?...
4 votes
1 answer
6k views

Soaking fruits and things in alcohol

So I got a wild hair one day in Feb and filled a bunch of Mason jars half full with random things and started soaking them in whiskey, vodka and sweet whiskey. I put a few pickle Spears in some ...
4 votes
2 answers
3k views

peeling black eyed peas for acaraje (fritters)

Acaraje (similar to vada or vadai etc) are fritters from a batter of soaked ground black eyed peas. The hard part is removing the peels. I gave up rubbing + rinsing at 75% peeled and the result was ...
0 votes
2 answers
9k views

Can I simply soak fruit and vegetables in water for several hours to sanitize them?

To optimize my time as much as possible, I would like to know if I can simply put them in water and leave them there for a while. This would help if there are lots of fruits and vegetables to be ...
8 votes
3 answers
30k views

Soak clams with cornmeal: yes or no?

Many cook books advise that fresh clams should be soaked in salt water with a bit of corn meal added. The purpose is that the clams will consume the corn meal, thereby cleansing their gut of sand. ...
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

Beans soaking times, flavor vs flatulence

It is known that beans contain certain oligosaccharides that cause bloating and intestinal discomfort in some people, myself included. Some of these oligosaccharides are water soluble and will be ...
2 votes
2 answers
385 views

How to incorporate quick soaked beans into a simple vegan chilli recipe

I make a big pot of vegan chilli roughly as follows: Saute onion and garlic. Brown soya mince. Add 1 tin corn, 1 tin tomatoes, 1 tin chickpeas, 2 tins beans, various spices, cocoa powder, and tomato ...
3 votes
3 answers
462 views

How can I prevent pear juice from soaking into pastry dough?

I'm baking a cheesecake with pieces of pears, using rich shortcrust pastry. The problem is that, during the baking, the pear juice is soaking the pastry. How could I avoid that?
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What kinds of corn can be nixtamalized?

What kinds of corn are the standard for nixtamalization? I mean, do they use sweet corn, popcorn, dent corn, flour corn, flint corn, pod corn, something else, or some/all of the above? I'm guessing it ...
8 votes
3 answers
17k views

Should dry beans be washed before soaking?

When making dried beans, generally I wash the beans, then soak them, then drain&rinse, then cook. I realized today that I started my soak without the prior wash (by accident), and then realized it ...
3 votes
2 answers
5k views

Does soaking dry beans before cooking prevent flatulence?

There are all kinds of opinions on whether or not soaking beans helps decrease flatulence. Some say adding things like baking soda, lemon juice, salt, or other things to the bath helps the effect. ...