Dried beans, cooked in an acidic sauce, haven't softened enough - can I do anything now?
I know why my beans haven't softened - I was adapting a recipe (that calls for tinned beans) to use dried - and there's vinegar in the sauce. I soaked an assortment of beans from different packs overnight, and cooked in the slow cooker on high for 8 hours. That would normally be plenty even in chilli with a fair bit of tomato. As the beans came from different packs that were fine a week ago, and were uniformly too firm, I don't reckon it's that the beans are too old. They were just about edible last night. A further 12 hours on low overnight softened them a little more, but they're still firmer than I'd like. The recipe isn't online but it's beans, onion, garlic, spices, treacle and vinegar, similar to a vegetarian Boston Baked Beans.
The solution for next time is easy - add the vinegar when they're nearly cooked - but I made several portions and would like to make the best of what I've cooked.
Is there anything I can do at this stage to make them soften further? Would neutralising the acid and cooking some more help?
Best Answer
Blender.
That will get them soft. Then you can fry the bean paste, like refried beans.
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Quick Answer about "Dried beans, cooked in an acidic sauce, haven't softened enough - can I do anything now?"
Beans That Are Still Hard After Cooking Your last resort is to add baking soda, as described above. Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda to encourage softening and give your beans another 30-60 minutes to cook while simmering (your liquid should be hot, but not rapidly boiling).How do you soften hard dried beans?
The most common way to soften dried beans is by soaking them in room-temperature water for several hours or overnight. Water initially enters the bean through the hilum, or scar, where the bean was attached to the stem in the pod.Can you eat beans that are not soft?
If not cooked properly \u2014 Do Not Eat! Beans contain a compound called lectin. Lectins are glycoproteins that are present in a wide variety of commonly-consumed plant foods. Some are not harmful, but the lectins found in undercooked and raw beans are toxic.Will baking soda soften beans?
Baking Soda Can Tenderize Baking soda also helps tenderize beans by speeding the deterioration of pectin, essential to plant cell structure and strength. If you're using hard water or beans damaged by age or storage, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per pound of dried beans to the soaking water.How to Cook With Dried Beans | You Can Cook That | Allrecipes.com
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