Forgot to Soak Dried Beans Overnight; Anything I Can Do?

QOTD

Hi, I planned to make chilli con carne tonight but forgot to soak the kidney beans overnight.

I remember reading somewhere that there is something you can do (like boiling and rinsing and boiling, etc) if you do forget to soak them, but I don't remember it and the quick searches I've done on the net only mention about pre-soaking for 8 hours which I now don't have the time for!

Can anyone help??

Penelope_Penguin

I agree - sure I've seen that you can do this, but can't remember the recipe. This site says it's fine to not soak - the reason for doing it is that the beans absorb some moisture so cook more quickly.

If I remember, the method is to pour boiling water over the beans. Bring to the boil and boil for 30 mins. Leave for the rest of the day, then simmer for about 1 to 1.5 hours to cook.

HTH, Penny. x

QOTD

That sounds good enough for me, thanks Penny. I best get started ....

maypole

I thought it was dangerous NOT to soak them. I use the canned ones and they are fine, just rinse them and they are ready to use.

Pollycat

Hi
I've heard somewhere that it's dangerous to cook red kidney beans without soaking too.

I know there was something years ago about people who were putting unsoaked beans into the slow cooker & it made them ill.

If I were you, QOTD, I'd be inclined to put the chilli off until tomorrow, get the beans a-soaking and plan something else for tea tonight.

Regards
Polly

Penelope_Penguin

Not sure about this - don't want to cause a poisoning

My understanding is that you need to cook the beans thoroughly to destroy the potential toxin in them. That's why the first cooking is a rolling boil rather than a simmer.

As ever, exercise caution when taking advice from this board, but I know what I'd do.

Penny. x

Penelope_Penguin

Pollycat wrote: »

Hi
I've heard somewhere that it's dangerous to cook red kidney beans without soaking too.

I know there was something years ago about people who were putting unsoaked beans into the slow cooker & it made them ill.

If I were you, QOTD, I'd be inclined to put the chilli off until tomorrow, get the beans a-soaking and plan something else for tea tonight.

Regards
Polly

That's because a slow cooker might not be at a high enough temperature for long enough.

Penny. x

QOTD

Thanks everyone for your responses, I usually keep a can of beans in for emergencies (ie when I forget to soak them) but I hadn't any at the moment. I also remember something about them being dangerous to use without soaking.

I have decided to boil them for 30 mins skimming off any skum that has appeared, rinse and boil again. I've done this 3 times now so they've been boiling away in total of 1.5 hours. I've now left them to soak in clean water so they should get a further 3-4 hours soak before I am ready to cook with them.

I'll take a look then, and decide whether to use them or not

rockie4

As I remember it's not the soaking, it's that you need to boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes to ensure the toxins are killed off, so if you've boiled them 3 times they should be fine.

Lillibet_2

I have a lamb casserol in my slow cooker & I had planned on adding Tesco dried mixed beans to it to pad it out, I already have loads of veg in it. However, I totally forgot the beans have to soak for 8 hours before boiling for 10 mins then adding to the SC. Does anyone know if I can speed up the soaking process somehow, cook them in the microwave or something?

Thanks:o

jennybb

Lillibet, does the bean mix have dark beans (like kidney beans) in it? I think that they are the ones that have to be soaked and boiled - I think they have a toxin in them. I'm sure a more knowledgeable person will be along soon