Cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker, how do I make sure they're safe?
I'm making 15 bean soup from a bagged dry bean mix that contains red kidney beans. Following the instructions, I soaked them overnight and threw out the water, but then thought I'd be clever and throw them in the slow cooker instead of cooking on the stove. They simmered in the cooker on high for probably about 15 hours (not entirely on purpose... I sort of forgot about them for a little while...)
Today I learned too late that kidney beans have a high amount of a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin, and you're supposed to boil them at least 10 minutes before putting them in the slow cooker. Apparently some slow cookers don't get hot enough to destroy the toxin no matter how long you cook them.
Can I just boil the soup on the stove after the fact to make it safe, or is it too late now? Is there any chance this will not turn my bean soup into unappetizing mush?
(It might be worth noting that Hurst beans, who makes the soup mix, has a slow cooker recipe on their website that says nothing about boiling them first.)
Best Answer
I found this question interesting because I'd never heard of poisoning from red kidney beans before, and have certainly cooked them solely in the slow cooker without ill effects that I can recall, so I did a little internet research. Here's the most authoritative opinion I found:
- The US Navy Medical Corps thinks that cooking even at 80C/175F is insufficient, and may be more toxic than even eating the raw beans.
Particularly, I found this specific advisory in at least 4 internet sources, including this one:
Beans cooked at 80 degrees Celsius, which is common in some of these cooking methods, increase the toxicity potential 5 times higher than eating raw beans.
This startling theory is never sourced anywhere; all of the sites I can find that mention it provide the information without attribution, even the serious medical ones. Many use the exact same words.
So it's up to you whether or not you believe this; personally, with a possible night of stomach cramps on the line, I would probably choose to dump them in a pot for a quick boil. On the other hand, I might consider what % of the soup is kidney beans and chance it.
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Quick Answer about "Cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker, how do I make sure they're safe?"
Eliminating the toxic level of lectin in the beans is super easy. When preparing dried red kidney beans, you must boil them for a minimum of 10 minutes. Since most slow cookers do not reach the boiling point (212°F), beans prepared in them will carry the toxic lectin.Are kidney beans safe in slow cooker?
Kidney beans should not be cooked from raw in a slow cooker. If you care about the scientific reason \u2013 it's that the beans contain a protein, called phytohaemagglutinin, which is toxic. Even just a few raw or undercooked beans can make you quite ill. Cooking the beans properly destroys the toxin.How do I make sure kidney beans are safe?
How to properly cook kidney beans and destroy toxinsIs cooking beans in a slow cooker safe?
Boil beans in fresh water for at least 30 minutes. Note: The toxin is destroyed when boiled at 212\xbaF for 10 minutes, but scientists recommend 30 minutes to be certain the beans reach the proper temperature for the amount of time necessary. Don't use a slow cooker. It likely won't get hot enough.How should kidney beans be cooked to avoid becoming ill?
Even after an overnight soak, which many claim to be unnecessary anymore, kidney beans need to be boiled for at least 10 minutes to kill toxins. (Though, in the Bad Bug Book, the US FDA recommends boiling them for 30 minutes to completely destroy the toxin.)Camellia Red Kidney Beans In A Slow Cooker
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Answer 2
Most slow cookers on high are probably hot enough. Probably isn't good enough.
I normally boil my beans for 10 minutes before putting them in the slow cooker (some sources say 30 but they cite sources that say 10). There's no safety reason (in anything I've read) why this boiling can't be done at the end instead, even though the texture might not be quite what you were aiming for.
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