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The Kitchen Table

Two cooking questions: beans, carrots

9 years ago

About the "quick cooking" method for dry beans (as opposed to overnight soaking)--I read that it's not necessary and you can actually put them right in the soup and they will cook up ok. What do you think?

Is it just me or is it difficult to get a good tasting carrot? Often they are just like eating roots with no carrot taste.

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Comments (12)

anne_ct
9 years ago
Dried beans...yes they will cook OK but the cooking time...in my experience...takes a little longer. I find investing the hour soaking time to be worth it...both for taste and cooking time. Plus the soaking gets rid of some of the starch...which is a plus in my book.

Carrots...are terribly bland these days. The only taste improvement I've found is to buy the organically grown varieties. They're worth a little more money. Beyond that...if I had the room...I'd grow my own. ;-)

Anne
mboston_gw
9 years ago
I use Lysander's dry bean soup mix and it suggests either soaking overnight or at least 4 hours, which I do. Then you boil 1 min. let sit for another hour. From there you add the rest of your veggies and seasonings. Still takes awhile but beans are soft but not mushy.
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I make them. And have learned a few tricks. I soak and cook first, but i like a crunchy exterior with just a bit of soft meal inside. Not completely dried. (i make them to eat right away or within 24hrs in the fridge) ...they never last more than right away unless i hide some for a garnish. You are reading what i have read. I experimented with many versions using up a full dried bag. Chickpeas/garbanzos. I was just reading about other beans last night. I'm in a remote location and after having 'chickpeas' on the grocery list for 3 weeks it has become a running joke. But just traveled to a nearby village today that had cans, whoot-whoot!. Just cans, boo. But on sale and 4 for 5bucks. I prefer to soak my own. The closest dried bean here is something called a 'raw yellow pea'. Looks like tiny garbanzos and round. Cooked them last night for dinner. Not really a split pea flavor. Longer cooking time. Planning on baking them tonight. Along with my can of chickpeas. Other beans i have tried were not at all like described in the recipes. Not sure if 'hippies' will just consume anything, lol. I find that type of thing in blogs all the time. Freeze drying are the crispy overpriced packaged snack you see in stores, and i know you know that. Freeze drying is not a home event. Thanks for bring this up. We shall brain-storm this. My favorite method so far...cooked chick peas, tender. Drain and dry. Important to dry on a kitchen towel and lay out for an hour or so....(right now mine are on a sheet pan above my wood stove on a drying shelf where i proof bread. Toasting in the oven dry, then tossing with a scant amount of good oil, then tossing in spice. I also like using avocado oil, tossing before roasting with spice. Avocado oil has a high heat tolerance. I'm still fussing and experimenting. I traveled, felling a bit silly bringing dried bags of beans from NYC, but surprised to not find any here locally. The first batch for a party were such a hit i kept roasting during the festivities. Bringing out more from the oven. Used up all my fridged cooked chickpeas. I'm still at a toss-up with using a good flavorful oil and spice before roasting. Heat will destroy some of the good qualities in some oils, but the spices i often use like some toasty heat... I do think it involves playing around with it. Small batches trying different methods.
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prairie_rose
9 years ago
I soak mine overnight, so I cannot comment on the beans.

As for carrots....store bought are YUK. I had a very poor year in the garden last year, spring was too cold for too long. I didn't get much for carrots. I use store bought for color only right now. I either roast them with spuds and parsnips, or boil them up with some peas and corn.
blfenton
9 years ago
I know nothing about soaking/not soaking beans but I agree that the carrots are atrocious. They're so limp and dry and tasteless to the point that I wonder if there is any nutritional value left in them.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
9 years ago
I have found if I just scrub the heck out of carrots and leave the peel on there's so much more flavor.

I soak overnight usually but when I forget I use the hottest water and soak for at least an hour. I would not put dry beans in a regular soup and expect them to be done in time, I don't want to risk it.
sushipup1
9 years ago
Avoid the little shaped carrots, so-called "baby" carrots. They are not baby or small or anything bu machined from large old carrots. I buy the regular carrots, but I can't compare them to organic or home-grown. But I know that the little ones are really lousy.
socks
Original Author
9 years ago
Maybe the way to get tasty carrots is to go to the local farmers market. I've tried to grow them but didn't do well with that.
alisande
9 years ago
Ditto Sushipup on the "baby" carrots. I'm surprised the manufacturers can get away with it.

I've been happy with organic carrots. Our Weis supermarket sells a big 5-lb. bag for $5. Walmart's organic carrots come in 2-lb. bags, I believe, and are even cheaper per pound.
Sue_va
9 years ago
I'm not the one to give help with cooking advice, because I cook like my Mama cooked. Dried beans were always soaked overnight, and why not, they just sit there in a pot of water! And back then you had to pick out the little rocks.

Carrots. A couple weeks ago I made a pot of potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions. And of course they were seasoned with Streak o' lean, also known as Salt Pork. Delicious!

I agree that baby carrots are yucky and have no flavor, but folks keep buying them. Kroger has the best loose carrots. They are longish and thinnish and look like they just came out of the garden. 99cents a pound.

Sue
morz8 - Washington Coast
9 years ago
You can make beans without soaking them, they will take a little longer to tenderize so keep sampling, plan on them not being ready in the normal amount of time.

I know the consensus is mixed on whether or not soaking, then rinsing helps with the after effect of beans - the gas. I've had them unsoaked (my mother never soaked beans), quick soaked, and soaked overnight.

Beans can sometimes be a problem for us. We like them, they don't always like us in amounts for a main course. I'm trying to be discreet here, and not give you more information than you are interested in ;)

Just a couple of weeks ago I soaked flageolet and pinto in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator almost 24 hours, rinsed well the next day, made my bean and ham dinner.. The beans were flavorful, tender, we enjoyed them very much two nights in a row - no after effects. Maybe a coincidence, maybe we've increased our daily fiber and are more used to it, and it had nothing to do with the beans soaking....but chances are, I'll do the cold water long soak. Just hope I'm not soaking all the nutrients out of them :)
susanjf_gw
9 years ago
i'm the lazy one here...my sister turned me onto RANDAL jar'ed beans years ago and have never looked back. not mushy and we love them...add diced tomato, chunks ham and cornbread on the side....

as for the carrots? have tried the tiny baby ones but as with everyone else? slight flavor...we use them the most often in stew...
lucillle
9 years ago
Check out the health issues with lectins and dried beans. There's a lot of different info, some of it conflicting.

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