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Cooking beans sounds simple, but there are several common mistakes that can ruin their texture, flavor, or digestibility. Here’s a guide to the most common mistakes in cooking beans — and how to avoid them:
🌱 1. Not Soaking the Beans (or Soaking Incorrectly)
Mistake: Skipping the soak entirely or soaking for too long can lead to uneven cooking or mushy beans.
Fix:
Soak overnight (8–12 hours) in plenty of cold water, or use the quick soak method: boil for 2 minutes, then rest covered for 1 hour.
Don’t soak for more than 24 hours or they can ferment or split.
💧 2. Using Old Beans
Mistake: Old, dried beans (over a year old) take forever to cook and may never soften properly.
Fix:
Buy beans from a source with high turnover.
Store beans in a cool, dry place and use within a year.
🧂 3. Salting Too Early
Mistake: Adding salt at the beginning of cooking can make beans tough (though this is debated).
Fix:
Traditional rule: Add salt only when beans are almost tender.
Modern take: You can salt the soaking water or lightly season early on — just avoid oversalting too soon.
🍋 4. Adding Acid Too Soon
Mistake: Acidic ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar, or citrus stop beans from softening if added early.
Fix:
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