By Pamela Lee, from the October 1999 Newsletter

Beans, beans the musical fruit,
The more you rinse, the less you toot.

Dried beans and (to a lesser extent) peas are notorious for creating intestinal gas. Dried legumes contain complex sugars called oligosaccharides, which aren't easily broken down by our stomach's digestive enzymes. As undigested oligosaccharides ride through the gut, they eventually reach the lower intestinal tract where resident bacteria eagerly devour these complex sugars. Blame the bacteria for the gas–it's their waste product. I've recently learned, from reading The Brilliant Bean by Sally and Martin Stone, that the problem can be easily remedied by rinsing beans well and by cooking them thoroughly. Over the years, I've heard and read so many ideas and tips about cooking and soaking dried bean; often the instructions were contradictory. How delighted I was to find the "Bean Basics" chapter in the Stones' book. It was clear, concise, and when enacted, the information bore true.

Soak and Rinse

Soaking dried beans before cooking rehydrates and softens them, and it helps to break down those indigestible oligosaccharides. Pre-soaking cuts the cooking time by at least half. To soak beans, use three to four times as much water as beans. Four hours is as much time as most beans need to soak, though very old beans may need longer. Soybeans and Broad Beans (such as Fava beans) have very tough seed coats that require 12 to 24 hours of soaking. Do not add salt to the water–salt reacts with the seed coat, forming a tough barrier which will inhibit the absorption of liquid.

One can reduce the gas-producing effect of beans by changing the soaking water at least 3 times. Simply drain and rinse with lots of fresh tap water three times during the soaking process. Also, always drain and rinse beans well after soaking. Use your fingers to gently move the beans around under running water to wash away any of those indigestible sugars that might still be clinging to the legume skins. Do not use the soaking liquid for cooking.

If you're cooking beans separately (before adding them to other ingredients), you can further eliminate intestinal gas by rinsing the cooked beans again, after they are cooked and before adding them to the dish you're preparing. The post-cooking rinse also works with canned beans. My favorite Co-op brand of canned beans is the Eden organic line. I empty the chock-full 15-oz. can of Eden organic beans into a four-cup measuring bowl. Under running water, swish the beans around to rinse them really well. This remedies the flatulence problem.

If you've forgotten to soak legumes four hours in advance, and haven't any canned beans in the cupboard, here is a Quick Soaking Methods from The Brilliant Bean:

1. Place washed and sorted beans in a large saucepan. Cover with 2 inches of fresh, unsalted water or 3 times their volume.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the beans and cover with 2 inches (or 3 times their volume) of fresh, cool water.
4. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Discard soaking water, rinse, and the beans are reconstituted and ready for further cooking.

If you've heard that you should add baking soda to the soaking or cooking water, don't. Baking soda weakens the cell walls of beans and both the flavor and the nutrition suffer. The only instance for which the authors of The Brilliant Bean recommend using baking soda is when cooking beans in unusually hard water. And then they only recommend adding 1/8-teaspoon baking soda per cup of dried legume. If using extremely hard water, you can also stir-fry presoaked beans in oil for 10 minutes; then cook as usual.

Cooking Beans

When cooking dried beans, do not add salt, acidic ingredients (such as tomato, vinegar, wine, lemon juice), nor molasses until the beans are as tender as you want them. Salt, acid, and the calcium in molasses toughen the seed coating of legumes, and the tenderizing effect of cooking is halted once and for all. Once these are added, the texture of the bean won't change, no matter how long you continue to cook them. While beans are cooking, you can certainly season them with onions, garlic, herbs, spices, bay leaf, or other such ingredients. Just remember to wait until the legume is as tender as you want before you add salt, acid, or molasses.

One cup of dried beans yields between two to three cups of cooked beans. To cook, simply place presoaked and drained beans in a pot. Cover them with fresh, cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer the beans gently until they are soft and tender. 45-minutes to an hour is the average cooking time for dried legumes. Split peas and lentils take less time (and need no soaking) while soybeans take more. The slower you cook your beans, the easier they will be to digest. While a fast boil might seem expedient, it'll make digestion more difficult. It's best to let them simmer over a low heat.

The microwave works fine for reheating already prepared bean dishes, but not for the first cooking. Beans need to be simmered slowly in lots of water, and microwave ovens do not do this well. A crockpot, however, does lend itself well to slowly cooking legumes. A pressure cooker can also be used; follow your pressure cooker's recommendations. If using a pressure cooker, adding one tablespoon of oil (per cup of dried beans) to help keep foam and bean skins out of the vent.

Cooked beans freeze very well. If you prefer not to rely on canned products, cook your own dried beans, then freeze them in portion-sized freezer bags or jars. The freezer is also handy for cutting the cooking time of soybeans and older dried beans. You can shorten the cooking time of soybeans by freezing the beans in the soaking water. After they are thoroughly frozen, thaw them, and discard their soaking water. Rinse and cover the beans with fresh water, then cook.

Ten-Minute Black Beans with Tomatoes and Coriander

(by Sally and Martin Stone)

1 Tbsp. oil (more if needed)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. chopped garlic
6 fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (or one 14-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped)
1 16-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Tabasco, to taste
salt, to taste
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a small skillet or saucepan over moderately high heat and add the onion and garlic. Saute, stirring, until onion is almost translucent but still firm, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more.

Add the black beans, Tabasco, and salt, and stir to combine. Cover skillet and simmer until beans are heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tbsp. of the cilantro. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

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