We are a family with rather....ahem......SENSITIVE digestive systems. For that reason, I have rarely cooked beans, because I get way too many complaints about the side effects, and buying Beano cancels out any savings I might have realized. The my younger children spent a week with some friends who eat beans a lot, and they reported that Michelle "knows how to cook beans right." So I picked her brain, tried her method, and IT WORKED. So now we can eat beans with only minimal side effects. Yes, still a little bit of gas, but not enough to keep you from going out in public. Hallelujah!
1) Soak the beans at least overnight, the longer the better. I always add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda, not a tip Michelle gave me but I read it somewhere a long time ago.
2) After soaking, pour off the soak water and rinse well. You can also change the soak water a time or two, but I haven't tried that yet.
3) Now cook the beans a long time, the longer the better. A crockpot works well, but I have also just simmered them in a kettle for hours with good results.
4) Here is the SECRET WEAPON: Bury a whole plain potato in the beans as they cook. Apparently the potato absorbs the carbohydrates from the beans that cause flatulence.
5) When the beans are done, carefully fish out the potato. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT eat the potato, unless you want to single handedly contribute to global warming through increased methane gas production.
That's it! Your secret weapon against the gassy bean is the lowly potato. If you have other secret weapons, I would love to hear them.
Ha ha! I love your disclaimer about eating the potato!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to try this, since I've recently gotten very tired of opening excessive amounts of canned beans and have started trying bulk dried beans. Question: my dried beans, when cooked, are always way tougher and not as soft as the canned beans. Do I just need to cook them longer, or is that just what comes with the dried bean territory?
Oh thank you! I would like to cook more beans for our family since they are so healthy, but my husband ALWAYS complains about the after effects. I am definitely going to try this :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea! I have never heard of a potato before. I'll have to try it because beans really affect my DH (they don't affect the girls and I as much). Of course, I've heard that the more you eat them, the less of an effect they will have on you, but I don't know how true that is.
ReplyDeleteHi, Maria, yes you just need to cook them longer. I think maybe the baking soda helps with that too, especially if your water is a little on the acidic side. Beans won't cook in acid, which is why you can't add tomatoes until after they are cooked.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting... potato? I've read about adding some dill seed (I also believe anything from dill family would work, like fennel, lovage). I have yet experiment to see if dill seed REALLY works. It doesn't bother my dearest even if he could create couple mini-earthquakes. I don't cook much beans because it contributes to his gout problem even if it is one of his favorite dish! I need to remember potatoes....
ReplyDeleteI've never heard this. I've been stocking up on dried beans and will give this trick a try. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteand you don't peel the potato??
ReplyDeleteNo, you don't need to peel the potato.
ReplyDeletethanks, this is a great tip- I will definitely try this soon.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I LOVE your plan of living on 1/2 and paying down your debt in a year. It sounds like a really fun adventure! I hope you continue to succeed!!!
This is a great idea, maybe I'll try it one day. I did do the same thing with a sheet, though. My old favorite flannel sheet had a hole in it, so I cut it up, and now we use it for everything: cleaning, kleenex, paper towels, napkins, wiping up, polishing, and they are so soft!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to know if you've heard about menstural cups. They are awesome, and since you have daughters, you should check it out. You can save some money- the cup costs about $30-$40 but then you use it for up to 10 years! no more buying tampons/pads...and you can keep it in for up to 12 hours, so it saves the hassle of changing it every 4-6 hours, or you could make or buy cloth pads, too. I order mine from a company in Canada, but many people make pads themselves, too. sorry this went long, but I wanted to share!! :o)
my previous post was meant for your post about Family wipes. Sorry!
ReplyDelete