Making beans gas-free

[SwampNut]

Beans are a really high-value, nutritionally complete food.  Everyone should eat lots of them, but most people get some gas and/or intestinal upset with them.  I've figured out how to remove the gas.  Basically, soak and cook the shit out of them.  When I make a bean stew, chili, or just plain beans, I soak them for at least 18 hours first, preferably longer.  Then I pressure cook them for 35-45 minutes.  Then change the Instant Pot to slow cook and let them simmer for a few hours.  Zero gas.  If I skip any one of those steps, some gassiness comes back.

 

I've read that salting your beans before cooking also makes them come out less tender.  I can't find any pattern to this using potassium chloride, and I don't use sodium salt, so not sure if it's true.

 

[RXX]

Bean degassing schemes are legion. I eat 2 pounds of (dried) beans each week, 3 weeks a month. I just soak and rinse, or pressure cook and rinse, use beano, or live with farts.

You are right, they are a good food.

[SwampNut]

I go through a lot of beans too.  Lately, I think that Beano actually causes gas for me.  More experimentation and logging is needed.

 

[CBR-RR-XX-CESS]

On 4/29/2022 at 12:19 PM, SwampNut said:

Then I pressure cook them for 35-45 minutes.

Do they come out mushy?

[SwampNut]

15 hours ago, CBR-RR-XX-CESS said:

Do they come out mushy?

 

No, they are firm with good texture.  The soft white beans like Colombians get less time to keep them from getting mushy.  Probably about 24 minutes.

 

[Toynutt]

Try soaking them in water with baking soda added to it.

 

[Nova Scotia Mike]

We had a storm about a month ago (hurricane Fiona) and in anticipation I stocked up on canned foods including a flat of Highbury Black Beans from Costco. I cracked the flat on Friday night and mixed a can in with some leftover taco meat and salsa ad ate with nachos and a spoon. So good. Yesterday I mixed a can in with a can of corn and some salsa and leftover basmatti rice. Delicious. Farts have been a tad more than normal but nothing outrageous. I just drained those cans, no rinse or anything else. I have been eating steel cut oats daily for over a month now so perhaps my farts are adjusted by the oats and thus the bean farts have had less impact.