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Cold Water Soak
However, the
majority of cooks agree that the beans should be
sorted/cleaned and rinsed thoroughly in cold
water. To
speed up cooking later, place the cleaned beans in a
covered bowl/pot of fresh cold water, and set
them aside
at room temperature from three hours to overnight.
Drain and rinse well. This cold water soak will reduce
gas reaction, but NOT entirely degas the beans, only
soften and set them up for later cooking. (See detailed
Degassing Bean Recipe at pacificgrainandfoods.com, or
follow the simple degas instructions below
for most
beans.)
Hot Water Soak
and Degas
Put on a pot
of water to boil, (6 cups to one pound of beans)
covering the beans by 1-2 inches. Sort and
rinse the
beans in fresh cold water. When water is at a rolling
boil, add beans to pot, and boil for two
minutes.
Remove pot from heat and cover, letting beans rest for
ONE hour; lentils for ONE HALF hour.
Drain in a
colander and discard the water. Add fresh water or
broth to cover two inches and continue cooking
with chosen
recipe. According to the US Department of Agriculture,
80 percent of the gas-causing elements
in most
beans will be eliminated.
This process
is not necessary for these “low-gas” bean varieties:
Anasazi, split peas, limas, and lentils.
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