Can I shorten bean soaking time if they'll be slow cooked?
I'm making something using butter beans (fasiola gigandes) which will be cooked for a long time (12+ hours) in a casserole dish with liquid covering them.
Normally I would soak the beans first for a long time before discarding the water and using them. Can I reduce/skip the soaking stage given that they will be soaking and cooking in the oven for a long time?
Best Answer
I use a slow cooker almost every time I cook dried beans, and I don't recommend cutting down on soaking. I typically soak overnight (with a little bicarbonate of soda), and start cooking in the morning, so 10-12 hours soaking + 8-12 hours cooking, avoiding adding (much) acid/salt until towards the end.
It's possible your beans soften more easily than mine, but with a much shorter soak (say 4 hours, and 10 hours cooking, because I forgot to soak them overnight) I've found several types to be barely edible - I ended up cooking down my chilli , blending it, and eating it as bean burgers.
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How do you shorten soaking beans?
How to quick soak beansWhat is the shortest time you can soak beans?
Soak the beans a minimum of 6 hours and any time up until 10 hours. What you are really looking for is the skin to easily slide away from the bean and to be able to squeeze the bean and have it be somewhat soft and ready to cook. This quick soaking method makes prepping dry beans a breeze.Does soaking beans shorten cooking time?
Soaking beans in the refrigerator overnight will reduce the time they have to cook drastically. And the texture of the beans will also be it their best, with fewer split-open and burst ones.How do you expedite soaked beans?
Quick Soaking BeansIn a large saucepan or dutch oven add beans, 1 \xbd tablespoons salt, and 8 cups water, stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and cover the beans for 1 hour of soaking. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.You're Doing It All Wrong - How to Cook Beans
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Answer 2
I have gotten away with no soak many times.
I often cook beans overnight. I think if you cook for 6 hours + the beans are so soft that soaking in advance does not make much difference.
Usually for long cooks I use kidney, red, pinto, turtle beans or black eyed peas. Even with those tough beans and no soak about half have become mush by the end. I have this thought that butter beans are a little more delicate. I think 12 hours will make them all mush.
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