43
votes
Accepted
Why are chickpeas not sold fresh, like other vegetables, but only canned or dried?
Chickpeas are sold fresh. They just have a short season, and they're annoying to prepare, so you'll only find them in specialty markets unless you live in an area that eats a lot of chickpeas. In ...
- 61.4k
36
votes
Accepted
Can beans be overcooked?
Beans can absolutely be overcooked.
Coffee beans aren't really beans--they're seeds from a fruit--but they are very temperature sensitive when roasted. There is a wide range of roasts, but dark roast ...
- 9,047
20
votes
Why are chickpeas not sold fresh, like other vegetables, but only canned or dried?
Because that's when legumes are considered ripe - when they are dry.
If you have ever grown and picked your own legumes, you'll know that they are left on the plant until fully ripened. At that point, ...
- 137k
15
votes
Accepted
How to eat raw brown rice, yellow peas, black beans
Assuming you don't cook in excess water then drain it away, there's not a difference in nutritional value here, you're just not comparing the same amount of rice.
Raw, uncooked rice and beans are dry....
- 58.2k
15
votes
Accepted
Salt turned peas from creamy to crunchy
Frozen peas don't really need 'cooking' at all.
The smaller they are the less they need, too; so anything labelled 'garden peas' or 'petit pois' really all you should do is drop them into boiling ...
- 29.9k
15
votes
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Can falafel be made using previously frozen chickpeas?
I made 4 test case batches:
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours, frozen, then thawed
Canned chickpeas
Canned chickpeas, frozen, then thawed
I tested with canned ...
- 409
9
votes
Split pea stew HELP!
I suspect what's happened here is that the acid in the lemon juice has slowed the rate at which the split peas softened; you should be able to just continue simmering the stew (add more liquid if it's ...
- 2,456
6
votes
Accepted
Can I add lentils to a baked chicken-and-vegetable stew?
I would strongly suggest boiling the lentils first and then adding them to the bake or to the semi-finished product.
Keep in mind that when baking at 325 F lentils may easily take 30-60 minutes.
...
- 141
5
votes
Why do canned beans have less FODMAPs than dried beans?
Why would canning reduce this process further [than soaking]?
Because canned beans are cooked. Cooking adds to further breakdown of many flatulence-causing elements. In fact, if the primary concern ...
- 32.1k
5
votes
Can beans be overcooked?
I found this detailed article on the topic of Can You Overcook Beans? (Things to Know), below is a quote from it (I've also added additional highlighting to the important parts):
Conclusion
Can you ...
- 3,591
3
votes
what about peanuts that makes them more nut like than bean like?
I don't think this is a result of what you call "chemical make up." It probably seems more nut-like because they are commonly roasted. If you eat a raw peanut, it is certainly more bean-...
- 73.8k
3
votes
Accepted
What is the best way to approach thermos cooking?
In general, when using a thermal cooker, the basic procedure is this:
Start some water boiling
Bring your soup base to a boil (separately)
Pour the boiled water into your insulated flask
Make your ...
- 80.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Can red lentils be used for mujadara?
I think red lentils are just the insides of green/brown lentils. Without the seed coat, they disintegrate very quickly. That’s desirable for some applications but I think it would be a little ...
- 146
3
votes
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How to I need to treat dried green lentils?
Your suspicion is correct about "far less mass than a chickpea" means you don't need to soak them as much. Chickpeas seem to need lots of soaking, but you don't have to soak lentils at all. I guess ...
- 7,082
2
votes
Accepted
Red kidney beans, break up long cooking time
It will be inconvenient, and you are likely to run into food safety problems. You would have to somehow make sure that they cool quickly enough after the first cook, and then heat up quickly enough ...
- 137k
2
votes
How to I need to treat dried green lentils?
Italy here. Therefore I refer to dried lentils commonly found here. We used to "pre- treat" them like soaking in not cold water etc.
This winter I got multiple packs of IGP (protected geographical ...
- 834
2
votes
How to eat raw brown rice, yellow peas, black beans
Perhaps the uncooked nutritional facts are dried split peas, and the cooked nutritional facts refer to these same peas cooked and reconstituted(re-hydrated). In this case the difference in nutrition ...
- 1,144
2
votes
Are there any naturally sweet legumes?
adzuki beans are quite sweet and used to make various desserts in Asia.
I will note, however, that typically some form of sugar is also added in whatever dish is being prepared with them.
- 950
2
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Are there any naturally sweet legumes?
Peas are very sweet, especially when you eat them young. I don't think any others reach them, but I don't think I've tried every legume in the world, so it's possible.
If the natural sweetness of ...
- 137k
2
votes
Self-cooked chickpeas not as good as canned?
This is a standard task for pressure cooking. Normally, pressure cooking only saves you time. But with dried legumes and with potatoes, the result is typically creamier.
Also, try switching your ...
- 137k
2
votes
Accepted
Self-cooked chickpeas not as good as canned?
I have made chickpeas 2x recently and I was happy with them. What I did:
1: Rinse and then short soak - maybe 1 hour.
2: Long cook, covered - more like 12 hours. Chickpeas are little beasts. ...
- 6,626
2
votes
Sodium in canned beans and legumes
Sodium chloride along with sugar is something that most manufacturers add to their products.
Yes, rinsing will reduce the sodium content.
- 496
2
votes
Preserving colour of mixed beans
I've recently changed from tinned beans to dried in my mixed bean chilli, which I slow cook. White (cannellini or black eyed) beans stay fairly white if starting from tinned, but dried beans absorb ...
- 43.8k
1
vote
What is the best way to approach thermos cooking?
"The best way" is a matter of opinion, and thus off-topic.
For a matter of food safety, test your thermos routine with a thermometer to see how long the food is maintained at a safe ...
- 16k
1
vote
How do I soften home made Split Pea with crunchy Peas?
...cook it more.
Really all there is to it - if the peas are not sufficiently cooked, they need more cooking. So re-heat and keep it re-heated (simmering) for as much as several hours, until the peas ...
- 16k
1
vote
What is the best way to approach thermos cooking?
The best way is to not try to cook it in the thermos itself, but to precook, dehydrate and store, then rehydrate in the thermos. This will save you from nasty surprises, especially undercooked food. ...
- 137k
1
vote
Preserving colour of mixed beans
Just a thought, but I would suggest bypassing the dark black beans in the mix, (or soaking them separately), soaking them all overnight with just a dash of baking soda, rinse them thoroughly the ...
- 11
1
vote
Should boiled legumes cool before processing?
When processing legumes, you're adding oxygen which promotes bacteria growth. If you do that at lower temperatures, risks increase.
Professional cooks have to bring the processed legumes back to a ...
- 13.1k
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