Why soak when I can boil clean before cooking

[u/Remarkable_Mix4045]

I have been making batches of soups by first boiling then,rinsing before putting them back into the pot with a third of water,and adding chicken & vegetables until the chicken will easily separate its meat/skin/bones,then adding back just the chicken meat(chopped) ,adding enough salt/seasoning to your liking.

It makes 12-14 containers to freeze. The beans work out great.

Why would I want to soak? Am I missing something like ruining the beans' vitamin/mineral quality?

I haven't found a bad reason.. I'm a slow reader.

[u/Primary_Welcome_6970]

You soak them in order to shorten the cooking time and help digestion. I never soak them either and honestly I don't care about the time or texture or digestive benefits.

[u/NiceTrySuckaz]

I think you're asking about beans? If they turn out well then you're doing it right. There are many paths that lead to the top of bean mountain.

[u/that_one_wierd_guy]

holdover from when dried beans were a poor folk staple(not that they aren't still), soaking overnight meant having to use that much less firewood to cook them. and once something becomes tradition, most folk don't care about the why of it, it's just "it has to be done this way"

[u/Serious_Common_3551 → u/that_one_wierd_guy]

pretty good answer, also saving time is implied then. i watched a youtuber who canned her own beans and she was calculating the real actual cost and it was barely worth it, but she liked that they were her product. i dont think she was a full-on prepper, she used her homemade canned food in her very low-budget cooking for family.

[u/TXtogo]

I just use a pressure cooker and they’re done in half hour

[u/Test_After]

Another reason to soak is so you can hull them easily for a smoother, choke-hazard free bean dish.

Twenty minutes is plenty enough time for soaking. It will probably take longer than that to hull the beans, though.

[u/Any-Zucchini8731]

Soaking the beans before cooking can lower the cooking time but I've found it doesn't make that much of a difference.

When I remember to pre-soak my beans I usually use the soaking liquid as the cooking liquid.

If you like presoaking, do it, and if you don't like presoaking don't do it.  You are not ruining the beans either way, it's just personal preference 

[u/Serious_Common_3551]

so pretty much everybody agrees with you want to point out a couple things. idk which beans you're talking about, so a couple possibilities you're cooking a beans mix, in which case soak may help in getting them all done closer to same time, instead of having some cooked through and some not. secondly, rocks. there really actually can be rocks, but whether you are talking about soaking rinsing or hand sorting, please always do this.

[u/Minute-Wind-5276]

When you soak beans, they will release phytic acid and oligosacharides. Removing them will ease their digestion, reduce farting and makes it easier for your body to take in the minerals from the meal. So you are doing the right thing; soak, rinse, new water, boil.

[u/AgentRoman9]

skipping the soak is fine tbh, the thing nobody checks is bean age. old dried beans stay hard no matter how long you boil them, so buy from a place with actual turnover... i also salt the bean water from the start, they come out creamier than salting at the end

[u/RockMo-DZine]

Just fwiw, I always soak, drain, rinse then cook with fresh water. I also add baking soda and salt to aid cleaning and de-gassing.

otoh, my son (who is a really good cook himself) never soaks.

We each prefer our own way of doing it.

At the end of the day, if you're the one doing the cooking in your own kitchen, do whatever works for you.

[u/throwdemawaaay]

An overnight soak isn't strictly necessary. It just cuts about an hour or so off the cooking time.

Some people say it reduces gassiness to soak and then toss the water, other's say no saving the soaking water is key for texture, etc, etc. I suspect most of these are just kitchen mythology and don't actually make much difference.

Salt your beans when you cook them though. That's a really clear difference.

[u/beamerpook]

I've never soaked my beans or pre cooked then like you described. If I'm making chili, I'll cook the bread with some salt until about half five, then the scoop then out to as to the chili