Red Kidney Beans Split During Soak

by Linda
(California)

I put them in a pot with water (with about 2 tsp of baking soda) to soak overnight and only after a couple hours I found many of them with wrinkled, skins peeling off and split in half. I am going to have to toss them out as they were to be used in a salad and I want them to look appealing!

The packaging said they would be good for several more months past this date. I opened another package that has a shorter expiration date and shortly after adding water (plus a couple tsp. of baking soda) I am noticing some of the beans are beginning to repeat the same thing.

Am I doing something wrong? I am about to throw in the towel and go out and buy them in a can!
Thank you!

Linda

*****
Sassy Sez: Oh Linda, my darling, look at your poor little split kidney beans. How frustrating. :(

My first thought would be that your beans are too old. But you seem to be using fairly fresh beans, especially if you have purchased them in a package with a use-by date.

So the other thought? It's the baking soda. But this, I have discovered, is a topic that is causing some confusion out there: Should you add baking soda to the water when soaking your beans?

Personally, I have never used this method. Some people swear it makes the beans softer and more digestible. Others say it can make your beans soft and mushy and mealy, AND can remove important nutrients from your beans.

So which is correct?

THAT is the million dollar question. My personal guess would be that it depends on the bean.

Someone might cook a batch of beans at home that are particularly old, so adding the baking soda to the soaking water works beautifully to soften them.

Others might cook a batch of beans that are very fresh, so adding the baking soda to the soaking water could ruin those (relatively) more tender skins.

My advice would be to try soaking your beans without the baking soda to see if that solves the problem.

If you are worried about the digestibility of your beans after they are cooked, add a 1-2" strip of kombu (seaweed) to the cooking water. This also adds some important nutrients to the beans and bean cooking water.

Let's open this up to discussion. What say you Vegan Coach peeps out there? Do you successfully soak your beans with baking soda? Have you experienced beans splitting when soaking with baking soda?

Inquiring minds want to know. ;)
xo