How to Soak Beans for Healthy Pressure Cooking
Beans are protein-rich legumes that can be added to a variety of dishes to give them an extra protein boost. For example, you can combine beans with fiber rich whole grains to make a wholesome meal. The most popular types include black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans; and these come in dried, canned, fresh, roasted, or pre-cooked versions. However, preparing beans in a healthy way can sometimes be a challenge, given their long periods of soaking required in order for them to cook faster & healthier.
If you have experienced trouble with bean preparation, this article acts as a guide for soaking and cooking dried beans. In addition, it presents the best way to pressure cook beans, with less overall hassle and better health value.
Health Benefits of Beans & Legumes
Beans are a powerhouse of essential nutrients and fiber (yet low in calories) which makes them excellent for weight loss and heart health. They are rich in folate, which is responsible for making healthy red blood cells. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents in beans boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer.
Basic Bean Soaking Instructions
Soaked beans are tender and cook faster. Soaking dried beans helps break down lectins, a kind of anti-nutrient that can damage gut walls, hamper the digestion process, and cause bloating or gas. Here is how to conventionally soak beans before cooking:
Wash and rinse the beans with clean water. Soak 2 cups of beans in a large bowl with 8-10 cups of water and let it stand overnight. Then drain and rinse the beans once again right before cooking.
If you forget to soak overnight or are unable to, soaking them in hot water for 3-4 hours can do the trick. You can also quick-soak beans, but quick-soaking them means you will likely have to deal with the troubles that comes with digesting lectins (and what health-conscious cook wants that?). To quick-soak, add beans in water, add some salt, bring the pot to a boil, then let it cool down before cooking.
The whole process is still a bit of a hassle, right? What if I told you that there was a way you can cook some beans without soaking them at all, and these beans end up healthier than any other? Read on to find out how.
What is the Safest Way to Pressure Cook Beans?
Pressure cooking is considered the best way to cook beans, for it saves time and cooks them thoroughly. But along with pressure cooking in conventional cookers comes the risks of metals leaching into food and losing delicate nutrients to harsh heat. On top of that, the bean soaking process can be tedious for many – who wants to worry about their beans for their dinner the night before? Fortunately, there is an alternative method of pressure cooking dried beans that mitigates these issues and further offers many healthy features.
With Miriam’s Earthen Cookware, a US-made brand of cookware, preparing beans is a lot easier (& healthier, too)! Depending on the type of bean, you may not need to soak beans at all: MEC cooks them thoroughly without soaking. If a bean does require soaking and you cannot soak overnight, you can soak them for a mere 2 hours before cooking.
You also don’t have to worry about those pesky lectins while cooking! MEC’s pure clay radiates an evenly spread far-infrared heat, which penetrates deeps into beans and cooks them thoroughly. This heat not only breaks down lectins for easier digestion, but it also preserves important nutrients within the beans, as well! This cannot be as easily accomplished with conventional cookware’s harsh near-infrared heat. On top of that, you can cook beans at a low heat setting, and it will take about the same time as a conventional pressure cooker (or less)!
Miriam’s Earthen Cookware can prepare far more healthy things than just beans – in a unique way, too. You can read more about MEC’s unique benefits and its ability to prepare different healthy foods here:
Features & Benefits || Healthy Dutch Oven Recipes
Below are some healthy and delicious recipes with beans that you must try!
Some Great Recipes with Beans
Garbanzo Chili
Garbanzo beans are a great food choice for a plant-based protein. Popularly known as chickpeas, garbanzo beans are legumes in the same family as kidney beans. They have a buttery, nutty flavor, and creamy texture. In the US, the tan, round, and slightly larger variety is common.
Chickpeas have calcium, magnesium, fiber, and other nutrients for strong bones. They boost your mental health for they have choline, a nutrient that helps make essential chemicals for memory, mood, muscle control, and other brain activity. They also help lower cholesterol and lower cancer risk. Here is a simple 20 minute recipe:
How to Make Garbanzo Chili (Chana Masala)
Lentil & Bean Soup with Healthy Vegetables (Sambhar)
This dish is called “Sambar” in the region of the world where it originates from (South East Asia), and it is a staple there. Sambar differs only in the choice of vegetables each time, giving it a nice variation in taste! The ingredients in it nourish almost all the body systems. Here is a simple recipe:
How to Make Lentil & Bean Soup (Sambar)
Millie Rice with Black Beans
Millie rice is a savory and wholesome meal that has its origins in South Africa. It is a combination of either rice or broken rice, coarsely ground corn, and a protein component – black beans. Read the full recipe here:
Want to eliminate a lot of the hassle when it comes to pressure cooking healthy beans and other nutritious food using the healthiest cookware? Head over to our online store and order the safest pressure cooker today!
People Also Ask:
Do You Soak Beans in Hot or Cold Water?
It is best to soak beans in hot water. However, you may also use cold water when soaking beans overnight.
What Happens if You Don’t Soak Beans Before Cooking?
When you don’t soak beans, these may cause gas, bloating or other digestion issues because of lectins. Soaking breaks down lectins in beans and makes them easy to cook and digest. However, soaking is not always necessary when clay pot cooking beans in MEC because lectins break down naturally during cooking.
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