Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Don't soak your dried beans

latimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 65 posts

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#21

Post by o_nate »

heywire wrote: post #18
maxk42 wrote: post #17

Please do not spread this incorrect information! The reason you soak beans is not to improve the flavor. It is to dissolve the flavorless and indigestible sugars that give you massive bean-gas when you eat them. If you soak beans well before cooking -- then change the water and cook them -- then change the water again and rinse them well before finishing the cooking process -- you will have a tasty, nutritious treat…

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

I don't think the article disproved it. In my experience, soaking does definitely reduce the flatulence effects.

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#22

Post by dj-wonk »

wtbob wrote: post #13

I like to soak beans for over 24 hours in order to let them start to ferment (lactobacillus, not yeast) a little. It can be tricky to get the right timing, but I think that the slight tang is quite tasty.

Speaking of bacteria and beans, if you eat sprouts (uncooked), you might want to look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean_sprout#Bacterial_infectio...

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#23

Post by maxk42 »

heywire wrote: post #18
maxk42 wrote: post #17

Please do not spread this incorrect information! The reason you soak beans is not to improve the flavor. It is to dissolve the flavorless and indigestible sugars that give you massive bean-gas when you eat them. If you soak beans well before cooking -- then change the water and cook them -- then change the water again and rinse them well before finishing the cooking process -- you will have a tasty, nutritious treat…

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

The article actually confirms this explicitly if you read it.

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#24

Post by heywire »

o_nate wrote: post #21
heywire wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

I don't think the article disproved it. In my experience, soaking does definitely reduce the flatulence effects.

True, it didn't disprove it. I was merely going based on the quote, "...suffice it to say that even with almost all of the alpha-galactosides gone, there wasn't a consistent marked decrease in human flatulence." They went on to say: "We reduced the alpha-galactoside content by 90% but we haven't done anything to dietary fiber," says Gray, "and dietary fiber produces similar effects."

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#25

Post by dj-wonk »

maxk42 wrote: post #17

Please do not spread this incorrect information! The reason you soak beans is not to improve the flavor. It is to dissolve the flavorless and indigestible sugars that give you massive bean-gas when you eat them. If you soak beans well before cooking -- then change the water and cook them -- then change the water again and rinse them well before finishing the cooking process -- you will have a tasty, nutritious treat…

From "Effects of Various Soybean Products on Flatulence in the Adult Man." at http://ebm.sagepub.com/content/121/4/1235.short

"Conclusions: In 4 human male subjects, kept on a carefully controlled diet to which various fractions of soybean meal were added, the flatus-producing factor in soybeans was concentrated primarily in the low molecular-weight constituents. These experiments also showed that the soybean hulls, fat, water-insoluble polysaccharides, and protein are not associated with flatulence production to any significant degree. Caseinate and soybean proteinate appear to inhibit flatulence. When equivalent amounts of navy bean meal were consumed, flatus volumes increased 2.52 times that following the consumption of dehulled, defatted soybean meal."

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#27

Post by codezero »

maxk42 wrote: post #23
heywire wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

The article actually confirms this explicitly if you read it.

Can you cite that? I just read it and found these two quotes:

  Finally, soaking does absolutely nothing to reduce the gas-producing properties 
  of beans.

  It was thought that soaking beans in cold water leached 
  these sugars out of the bean. Throw away the water and you 
  throw away the gas -- it has a simple appeal. 
  
  Unfortunately, it isn't true. These sugars are part of what 
  the bean uses for nourishment as it grows into a plant, 
  and the bean does not part with them gladly.

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#28

Post by maxk42 »

o_nate wrote: post #21
heywire wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

I don't think the article disproved it. In my experience, soaking does definitely reduce the flatulence effects.

Actually dietary fiber does NOT create similar effects.

SOLUBLE dietary fiber does. And that is also dissolved by water. Which is why you soak.

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#29

Post by caio1982 »

caio1982 wrote: post #10
zachberger wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate? How do you cook your beans?

I also read "amateur" all over the article. In Brazil people have been cooking beans for centuries and honestly I cannot even understand his doubts or questions. In the past we used to soak beans overnight just because otherwise they would take ages to cook in regular pots (and some people still do that when they only have regular pots to cook with). But that was it, just to speed things up. No (real) difference in f…

Seems that indeed we are the biggest polluter of methane in the world, unless I am getting this wrong: http://www.helgilibrary.com/indicators/index/bean-consumptio...

Re: Don't soak your dried beans

#30

Post by o_nate »

o_nate wrote: post #21
heywire wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've also always heard that, but isn't that one of the myths that the article supposedly disproved?

I don't think the article disproved it. In my experience, soaking does definitely reduce the flatulence effects.

That's an interesting scientific study. It confirmed that soaking can dissolve the complex sugars which contribute to flatulence. True it doesn't do anything about the fiber, but perhaps fiber has much less flatulence-causing effects for many people? I'm curious exactly how they measured the amount of flatulence and how large the population size of the study was.
Post reply on HN