beans!

[sage]

Dear cooks who know more than me,

I've been cooking with dry beans for the last some-odd months to save money and reduce exposure to harmful toxins and such. The cookbooks say:

1. soak beans 8 hrs or overnight.
2. parboil soaked (rinsed, drained) beans at a rolling boil for 10-12 minutes.
3. rinse and cover with fresh water and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on the kind of bean.

Got it. The thing is, after I parboil? I simmer for 25 minutes and the beans are done!

I'm generally cooking one cup of any of these varieties: black, pinto, lima, rattlesnake, kidney, or small red. Chickpeas and chana dal take longer -- much closer to what directions indicate.

Why are my beans done so fast? If I look away for like, a minute, they get mushy and/or burn to the bottom of the pot.

Also, I'm at practically sea level, whatever San Antonio is at, if that matters.

I am so confused. I mean, they taste okay, but I keep thinking I must be doing something wrong! Help?

Thank you!

Comments

[libitina]

I also learned this year that means are very sensitive to pH. The more basic your cooking liquid, the faster beans turn to mush. And at a certain acidity, you can cook them forever and they will always be distinct beans that don't break down.

[damned_colonial]

Yup, I was going to say this! Some people say, if beans are taking too long to get soft, you should add a little bicarb soda to the water and it will make it a bit more alkaline and help them go faster.

[marymac]

There's at least one brand of dried peas (in Ulster) that comes with little bicarb tablets for exactly that purpose. We tend to have insanely soft water, so they take forever otherwise.

[sage]

This is fascinating. We have insanely hard water here -- central Texas is either limestone or pink granite bedrock, and my area is all limestone, complete with caves and underground aquifer. There's calcium in *everything*. It freezes into white clumps in ice cube trays. I suppose I need to learn a bit more about the chemistry of cooking...

Thanks for the comment. :)

[libitina]

means -> beans

[sage]

Oh, that's awesome, thank you! I got trained out of eating salt ages ago and I still forget to add it when cooking. I guess I forget that the chemistry of cooking kind of relies on it sometimes. Oops? :)

[libitina]

Well, it's more that the timing might vary by the natural pH of your water, not that you have to change anything.

But if you do want to play with your beans, then perhaps -

basic = bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
acid = tomatoes, vinegar, wine, citrus

Salt is more the end product of an acid/basic reaction. It affects texture through ionic balance of water through membranes. Also, a pinch of salt does wonders for bringing out flavor in grains and legumes. The other fun thing about salt is that it can neutralize the ability to taste bitter flavors.