quick question re: soaking beans

[ljt2r]

Can beans soak indefinitely? They were soaking overnight, and now I think I have to run some errands that will take til tonight--can they soak that long? If it matters they are rancho gordo Vaquero beans.

[LaraW]

I don't think I would soak them that long. Can you drain them and cover them maybe with a wet towel to wait until you can cook them? That is probably what I would try.

[Terri_A]

Laura -

I have no idea what the time limit IS, but I know that I did let beans soak overnight and until lunchtime once and ended up with mush when I cooked them. I blamed that on the soaking although I suppose other factors could have caused it as well.

[ljt2r]

I drained them, put them back in the bowl and covered with plastic wrap. Any thoughts?

[Terri_A]

I think they'll be fine. You know, you technically don't have to soak them at all, they'd just take longer to cook if they hadn't soaked, so I can't imagine that there would be any ill effects to soaking, covering to avoid moisture escaping and cooking later.

Definitely update us though on the outcome....this could be a handy little bean experiment you've got going. =)

[KristiB]

I like Bittman's quick soak method. Boil for two minutes then let sit for 2 hours covered then cook.

My beans are always perfect.

Bob's the bean expert. Maybe he'll chime in.

[bobmark226]

I've never soaked any RG beans at all. If you do, definitely minimize the time because they're much fresher. Just a couple hours!

Bob

[amyvn]

Laura, I'd stick them in the fridge if you're going to leave them all day. Steve Sando seems to think that the big problem with soaking for too long is that they start to ferment and develop off flavors. Refrigerating them should keep that from happening.

Amy

[cchhbb]

I went to a cooking class where New Orleans Red Beans and Rice was the featured dish and the chef said not to soak more than 16 hours or your beans could start to grow some type of bacteria. I often do exactly what you did and strain and cover them for a few hours before I'm ready to cook.

cheryl

[Canice]

I've also heard Steve say that about the beans beginning to ferment. As Bob said, when you buy RG beans they're typically only a year old, while commodity beans can be up to 10 years old. I do soak RG beans, but they recommend not more six hours. I do 2-4, or none, depending on what I can afford.

[ljt2r]

They were perfect. Thanks for the advice, everyone. I ran out of time to make dinner, but the beans were ready within an hour and made a great dinner on their own with some corn (frozen organic) and feta cheese.

[search4goodfood]

I agree never to let them sit for that long. I would cover with a wet paper towel and place it in the fridge.

[ADM]

Originally Posted by Canice

commodity beans can be up to 10 years old.

Really??

[Kayaksoup]

I am too late for you, but I had to share my story..
I was cooking beans recently, on holiday. First night I was in a hotel, the rest of the time I was in a house and I wanted the beans for the first night in the house. So I soaked them overnight in my hotel room, making use of the icebucket drained them in the morning and kept them in a Ziploc, refrigerated until I was ready to cook. They turned out pretty well.

[KristiB]

Originally Posted by Canice

commodity beans can be up to 10 years old.

Originally Posted by ADM

Really??

Yeah but I think it depends on where you buy them.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong...