Soaking and Cooking
Cooking Skills: Pulses and Beans 1
Chapter 2 · Soaking and Cooking
Skill goal
Soak and cook dried beans safely so they are creamy, whole and full of flavour.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Dried beans need soaking (8 to 12 hours in plenty of cold water) so they cook evenly, and soaking also removes some of the sugars that cause wind. After soaking, drain and rinse them and cook in fresh water. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer gently until completely soft, from 45 minutes for small beans to 1.5 hours for larger ones. Keep the water level above the beans and top up with boiling water if needed.
Kidney beans need special care: after soaking they must be boiled hard for at least 10 minutes to destroy the toxin, and only then simmered (see the box). Salt toughens skins only a little, so add it when the beans are nearly tender. A pinch of bicarbonate of soda in the soaking water softens beans faster but can make them mushy and affect taste, so use it sparingly. For the soups in which beans are used see Cooking Skills: Soups and Stocks 1, chapter 5.
The method
- Soak in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours; the beans double in size.
- Drain, rinse and cook in fresh water, never the soaking water.
- Boil hard for 10 minutes (essential for kidney beans), skimming the foam, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add aromatics (onion, bay, garlic, herbs) but no acid, which stops beans softening.
- Salt when nearly tender, then cool the beans in their liquid so they stay plump.
| Bean | Soaking | Time after soaking (approximate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannellini or haricot | Overnight | 1 hour | Creamy, mild |
| Red kidney beans | Overnight | 1 to 1.5 hours | Boil hard 10 minutes first |
| Black beans | Overnight | 1 hour | Keep the dark liquid |
| Butter beans | Overnight | 1 to 1.5 hours | Large, fragile skins |
Raw kidney beans, boiling over, digestion and storage
Raw kidney beans are toxic: dried red kidney beans (and, to a lesser degree, other dried beans) contain a toxin that causes severe sickness if they are undercooked. Soak them, drain, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes (general guidance) before simmering until soft. A slow cooker does not get hot enough to do this safely. Tinned beans are already cooked.Boiling over: pulses foam and boil over easily, and the starchy foam is scalding. Use a pan twice as big as the pulses and water need, skim the foam, keep the lid ajar and stay at the cooker.
Pulses and digestion: pulses contain sugars that some people find hard to digest and that cause wind. Soaking, discarding the soaking water, cooking until completely soft and building up the amount gradually all help. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to a doctor if you have a digestive condition.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
A pot of white beans with aromatics
The foundation for stews, salads and dips. Soak cannellini beans overnight, cook with an onion, a carrot, garlic and herbs in fresh water, and salt towards the end. Serve warm with olive oil and lemon, or keep in the cooking liquid.
Ingredients (about 700 g cooked)
- 300 g dried cannellini or haricot beans
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 carrot, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, bruised
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1.5 litres cold water
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Cover with 1.5 litres of fresh cold water, add the onion, carrot, garlic, bay and thyme, bring to a boil, skim and simmer gently for 50 to 60 minutes until completely soft.
- Add the salt for the last 10 minutes. Cool in the liquid, drain, remove the aromatics and drizzle with oil.
Boiling over, digestion and storage
Boiling over: pulses foam and boil over easily, and the starchy foam is scalding. Use a pan twice as big as the pulses and water need, skim the foam, keep the lid ajar and stay at the cooker.Pulses and digestion: pulses contain sugars that some people find hard to digest and that cause wind. Soaking, discarding the soaking water, cooking until completely soft and building up the amount gradually all help. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to a doctor if you have a digestive condition.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Level 2 · Safe
Kidney beans the safe way
This is the one recipe where the boil really matters. After soaking, boil the kidney beans hard in fresh water for 10 full minutes, then simmer until soft. Never cook raw kidney beans in a slow cooker. Serve with rice, in a chilli or in a salad.
Ingredients (about 700 g cooked)
- 300 g dried red kidney beans
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 garlic cloves, bruised
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 litres cold water, plus more for soaking
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
- Cover with fresh cold water, bring to a rolling boil and boil hard for at least 10 minutes, skimming the foam.
- Add the onion, garlic and bay, turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 45 to 60 minutes until completely soft. Salt for the last 10 minutes.
Raw kidney beans, boiling over and digestion
Raw kidney beans are toxic: dried red kidney beans (and, to a lesser degree, other dried beans) contain a toxin that causes severe sickness if they are undercooked. Soak them, drain, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes (general guidance) before simmering until soft. A slow cooker does not get hot enough to do this safely. Tinned beans are already cooked.Boiling over: pulses foam and boil over easily, and the starchy foam is scalding. Use a pan twice as big as the pulses and water need, skim the foam, keep the lid ajar and stay at the cooker.
Pulses and digestion: pulses contain sugars that some people find hard to digest and that cause wind. Soaking, discarding the soaking water, cooking until completely soft and building up the amount gradually all help. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to a doctor if you have a digestive condition.
Level 2 · Black
Black beans with bay and garlic
Black beans cook to a creamy, almost chocolatey flavour, and their dark cooking liquid is part of the dish, so don't drain it away. Add smoked paprika and a little cumin for warmth, and finish with lime or lemon.
Ingredients (about 700 g cooked)
- 300 g dried black beans
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 litres cold water
- 1 lime or lemon, juice
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Soak the beans for 8 to 12 hours, drain, rinse, and cover with fresh water. Boil hard for 10 minutes, skim, then add the onion, garlic, bay, cumin and paprika.
- Simmer gently, partly covered, for 45 to 60 minutes until soft and the liquid has thickened. Add the salt for the last 10 minutes.
- Finish with the lime juice, taste, and serve in their liquid.
Boiling over, raw beans and digestion
Raw kidney beans are toxic: dried red kidney beans (and, to a lesser degree, other dried beans) contain a toxin that causes severe sickness if they are undercooked. Soak them, drain, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes (general guidance) before simmering until soft. A slow cooker does not get hot enough to do this safely. Tinned beans are already cooked.Boiling over: pulses foam and boil over easily, and the starchy foam is scalding. Use a pan twice as big as the pulses and water need, skim the foam, keep the lid ajar and stay at the cooker.
Pulses and digestion: pulses contain sugars that some people find hard to digest and that cause wind. Soaking, discarding the soaking water, cooking until completely soft and building up the amount gradually all help. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to a doctor if you have a digestive condition.
Level 3 · Batch
A bean batch cooked and frozen
Cook a big pot of one kind of bean, cool it and freeze it in tub portions, each with a little cooking liquid. A portion (about 240 g, equal to one 400 g tin) is ready in minutes. It costs a fraction of the tinned version.
Ingredients (about 6 portions)
- 500 g dried beans of your choice (not red kidney unless boiled hard)
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 litres cold water
- 2 tsp flaked sea salt
- 6 freezer tubs or bags
- 1 permanent marker
- Soak, drain and cook the beans as in the earlier recipes (a 10-minute hard boil for kidney beans), salting near the end.
- Cool quickly in their liquid in shallow containers, then divide into labelled tubs, each with about 4 tbsp of liquid. Leave a gap at the top.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or in a pan and reheat until steaming hot.
Freezing, raw beans and storage
Raw kidney beans are toxic: dried red kidney beans (and, to a lesser degree, other dried beans) contain a toxin that causes severe sickness if they are undercooked. Soak them, drain, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes (general guidance) before simmering until soft. A slow cooker does not get hot enough to do this safely. Tinned beans are already cooked.Freezing and defrosting soup: cool soup quickly, then freeze it in labelled flat bags or tubs with a gap at the top for expansion, for up to about 3 months (general guidance). Defrost in the fridge overnight or in a pan over a low heat, and reheat until steaming hot. Soups with cream, egg or potato may separate or turn grainy, so freeze the base and add cream or fresh potato when you reheat.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Experiments
Experiment
Soaked overnight or quick-soaked
Time.
- Soak one batch of beans overnight and another by boiling for 2 minutes and standing 1 hour.
Look for: Overnight-soaked beans cook more evenly and stay whole; quick-soaked beans work but are more likely to split.
Experiment
Bicarbonate of soda or none
Softness.
- Soak one batch with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda and one without.
Look for: The bicarbonate batch is softer and faster, but the skins can break and the beans taste slightly soapy. Use sparingly.
Experiment
Salt at the start or the end
Texture and flavour.
- Cook two small pots, salting one at the start and one for the last 10 minutes.
Look for: Early salt gives better-seasoned beans with only a little change to the skins; late salt gives you more control. Both are fine.
Experiment
Stove or pressure cooker
Speed.
- Cook the same beans on the stove and in a pressure cooker (if you have one), following the manual.
Look for: The pressure cooker cuts the time by about two thirds, with soft but whole beans; never use a slow cooker for raw kidney beans.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White beans with aromatics | ||||
| Kidney beans the safe way | ||||
| Black beans with bay and garlic | ||||
| A bean batch cooked and frozen | ||||
| Soaked overnight or quick-soaked | ||||
| Bicarbonate of soda or none | ||||
| Salt at the start or the end | ||||
| Stove or pressure cooker |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Beans stay hard | Old beans, acid added early, or hard water | Cook longer; add acid at the end; buy fresher beans |
| Beans split or mushy | Boiled too hard or bicarbonate | Simmer gently; use less bicarbonate |
| Water boils over | Foam | Use a big pan, skim and keep the lid ajar |
| Flat flavour | No salt or aromatics | Add onion, bay and garlic; salt near the end |
| Beans wrinkled after cooling | Drained too soon | Cool them in their liquid |
| Freezer beans watery | Too much liquid | Drain a little before freezing |
Raw kidney beans, storage and digestion
Raw kidney beans are toxic: dried red kidney beans (and, to a lesser degree, other dried beans) contain a toxin that causes severe sickness if they are undercooked. Soak them, drain, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes (general guidance) before simmering until soft. A slow cooker does not get hot enough to do this safely. Tinned beans are already cooked.Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Pulses and digestion: pulses contain sugars that some people find hard to digest and that cause wind. Soaking, discarding the soaking water, cooking until completely soft and building up the amount gradually all help. This is general information, not medical advice; talk to a doctor if you have a digestive condition.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can soak beans in plenty of water.
- I know to boil kidney beans hard for 10 minutes.
- I can simmer beans until completely soft.
- I salt beans when they are nearly tender.
- I can cook and freeze a batch of beans.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pulses and Beans 1, chapter 3 is Dals and Bean Curries: cooking pulses to a soft, spiced sauce.