How to make kidney beans tender?
The way I currently cook kidney beans is to soak them overnight. But still they have to be cooked for a long time on gas before they get tender enough to be edible.
Anything that can be added or be done in a different way to reduce the time over heat?
Best Answer
Adding a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the beans when soaking overnight should help soften them.
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How do you tenderize kidney beans?
The most common way to soften dried beans is by soaking them in room-temperature water for several hours or overnight.How do you soften hard kidney beans?
Add salt to your soaking water \u2013 Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt when you soak your dried beans overnight (1). Add baking soda \u2013 While cooking your beans, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda to encourage softening.Can you make kidney beans softer?
Heat to boiling; boil for 2\u20133 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and soak for up to 4 hours. Hot soaking is the preferred method since it reduces cooking time, helps dissolve some of the gas-causing substances in beans, and most consistently produces tender beans.How To Soak And Cook Kidney Beans
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Answer 2
You can reduce the overnight holding time, but I'm afraid you're stuck with the cooking time. Start with good quality fresh dried beans - if they're old they'll take forever to soften. Cover them by at least 2ins of water (softened if your water is hard with a little bicarbonate of soda, or use bottled water) to allow for absorption. Soak them overnight in water, or if you're in a hurry bring to the boil for 10 mins, turn off heat, and leave for 2 hours. It is important that they stay covered with water. Change water and boil hard for 15 mins (to destroy toxins) and then simmer until tender, adding salt, garlic or onion or other flavours if desired (this might take 30 mins to 1 hour or so or even more, depending on the beans - I normally expect 45 mins).
Answer 3
I find that soaked kidney beans will become tender after about fifteen minutes at pressure in a pressure cooker. I sometimes add Kombu to a pot of beans while they are cooking. It is generally thought to reduce the gassiness of the beans, reduce foaming while cooking, shorten cooking time and tenderize the beans. It also seems more nutritious than adding baking soda(?)
Finally, you didn't mention it but if you are adding any salt or acids to the beans (like tomatoes), it would take much longer for your beans to become tender. I'd cook the beans until they are tender before adding salt or anything acidic.
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