What are your best tips to make beans less gassy? :-)

[cheeser]

Beans and rice are a staple of our diet, and I *thought* that after all these years, I knew how to cook them without the, um, "musical" properties.

I just picked the beans, rinsed them, soaked them overnight, drained them the next morning, soaked them again with fresh water, drained them again, added fresh water or broth (as well as some bacon, ham hocks, etc.), and cooked the beans on low-ish heat without the lid in my trusty Dutch oven.

But now that we're all hunkered down together in close quarters 24/7, I'm just now figuring out that my tried and true method of eliminating the gassy effects isn't as tried and true as I thought.

Any suggestions?

 

[Kat0121]

Add baking soda to the cooking water

 

[cheeser]

Add baking soda to the cooking water

I've heard about that, but never tried adding baking soda when soaking or cooking beans because I had been told that it can remove certain essential vitamins and minerals. And since we're Hispanic and eat a LOT of beans and rice, I was afraid to give it a go. But I'm a heck of a lot more open minded these days!

Just curious, how much baking soda do you use?

 

[Kat0121]

I've heard about that, but never tried adding baking soda when soaking or cooking beans because I had been told that it can remove certain essential vitamins and minerals. And since we're Hispanic and eat a LOT of beans and rice, I was afraid to give it a go. But I'm a heck of a lot more open minded these days!

Just curious, how much baking soda do you use?

Do Beans Make You Gassy? Baking Soda Could Help With That

 

[cheeser]

Do Beans Make You Gassy? Baking Soda Could Help With That

Way cool! Thanks. I'll give it a try, and if it doesn't work, I guess we can start wearing our masks inside the house.

Honestly though, I can't figure out what's changed, except that everyone isn't getting as much exercise as we used to. Well, except for me, because sunlight is one of the best therapies when my eczema flares up something awful, so I try to spend as much time outdoors as I can working in the backyard and whatnot.

 

[lizzie]

There is a great youtube video by a lady named Phyllis Stokes and she takes you thru the steps to cook beans with almost no side effects.She says it is caused by a sugar we can't digest...oliosaccharide...and her method is bring them to a boil,drain and rinse,always starting with cold water.You have to do this several times...you'll notice a white foam that will go away when you're ready to cook them with all your seasonings,etc.I have used her way several times and have been very pleased with the results.Hope this helps!

 

[cheeser]

There is a great youtube video by a lady named Phyllis Stokes and she takes you thru the steps to cook beans with almost no side effects.She says it is caused by a sugar we can't digest...oliosaccharide...and her method is bring them to a boil,drain and rinse,always starting with cold water.You have to do this several times...you'll notice a white foam that will go away when you're ready to cook them with all your seasonings,etc.I have used her way several times and have been very pleased with the results.Hope this helps!

Thanks bunches! I'll go look that up. I know some people do the boil, drain, and rinse thingy to prepare beans for freezing, but not for cooking. You learn something new every day.

On the bright side, at least we're finally able to buy some basics like beans, so there is that.

 

[cheeser]

There is a great youtube video by a lady named Phyllis Stokes and she takes you thru the steps to cook beans with almost no side effects.She says it is caused by a sugar we can't digest...oliosaccharide...and her method is bring them to a boil,drain and rinse,always starting with cold water.You have to do this several times...you'll notice a white foam that will go away when you're ready to cook them with all your seasonings,etc.I have used her way several times and have been very pleased with the results.Hope this helps!

I tried this yesterday, and it worked beautifully!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The broth did taste a tiny bit different than we're used to, but that's a small price to pay when you can't practice social distancing inside the house.

Besides, once the leftovers get to the refried beans stage, any slight difference in taste probably won't even be noticeable once I add the bacon grease and spices.