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No one wants starchy, mealy beans in their soup or chili. In this clip from the America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School, Bridget Lancaster explains the science behind brining beans and demonstrates how to brine for tender and creamy results. Learn more in our Boiling and Simmering lesson.
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"It doesn't take much salt"… then proceeds to use 3 Tbsp of salt 🤨
looks like a disposable plastic wrap advert.
This worked with kidney beans for Monday’s Red Beans and Rice. Delicious creamy beans that held their shape.
Thanks!
This brining made the peels tough and the insides kinda' mushy. I think it depends on your water. I boil my water now for 5 minutes before using, however, salt kept the peels leathery. I tried it a few times and a few different ways, this advice is wrong. Just do nothing with salt until it's done, that's the best advice I could find.
Brigitt and Julia made Whoopie pies, and I was in the middle 😛
Tried your quick brine/soak method again a second time, this time with cannellini beans instead of pinto, and it did not turn out well. While cooking, the beans split, some of the skins sheared off and they were a mess. Tender inside though. Nonetheless, impossible to use in a salad because they looked awful.
I just tried your quick brine method with pinto beans. The result? It did not work well. The Pinto beans did cook much more quickly, however they still fell apart and the skins were not soft. I saw no value in saving time by brining first because it took the same amount of time when combining the brining time with the cook time. My goal was to have a cooked bean with soft skins and perfectly cooked tender inside. I will try this with cannellini beans next time as this is how you tested it.. with cannellinis. Was wondering, however, why so much water for such a small amount of beans when brining? 4 quarts is an awful lot for that amount of dried beans and seems completely unnecessary and a waste of salt. Why not cut it in have to 2 quarts of water and one and a half tablespoons of salt?
I guess I don't understand why it takes an entire gallon of water to soak 1 lb of beans. Why not 2 quarts to 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt? The beans are not going to begin to reach the top of 1/2 gallon of water and will receive the same amount of salt. Anyone?…
Does this method take care of the gas
My soaked beans after cooking. taste sour. What is the remedy for this?
JESUS is RETURNING SOON! ALLELUIA! 🙏🙌
THANK YOU! 💞
Trying this tonight, for tomorrow's left over ham. Using pinto, but watching your other vid on red beans and rice. It should work.
It may sound crazy, but i love steamed kidney beans. Any health risk?
I cook pressure cook the soaked kidney beans with very little water; how soft, tender and delicious!
2/3 of the Earths surface is water yet there is only enough fresh water to support 1/10 of the world’s population. Thanks to the idiots at Cooks illustrated, more than three quarts of fresh water will become salt water just before it gets dumped down the drain after the beans have soaked, multiplied by each of the millions of home cooks who try this. All you need is 1 quart of brine to adequately brine a pound of beans, NOT 4 QUARTS!!
Why do you need a gallon of water for 2 cups of beans? That’s 16 cups of salty water!
Also when I discard the bean soak water I eliminate my bean gas issues.
Reading these comments, I haven't heard this much whining since having to endure kindergarten nap time back in '56! [Laffin'😄]
I've been successfully using the ATK brining method for all kinds of beans for many years. However, I use a lot more salt in the brine, and then rinse the beans really well before cooking. This results in all beans, even old old beans, coming out great. The thorough rinsing results in me being able to control the amount of salt in the cooked product.
This excellent video answers the "beans and salt" theories. But what about the "beans and acidy foods (especially tomatoes)" theories? Does cooking the beans with tomatoes cause the beans to not cook properly?
I was brining already without salt, now I will start adding salt when I brine. The salt tech poggers 😯
I soak mine in baking soda. what do you think about that?
YouTube in a nutshell. This video has been out for 8 years yet my search feed is full of nonsense bean videos. Thanks for the answer I was looking for. 😁
I am IN LOVE! Tried this method with my pinto beans and added 1 Tbsp. of soda into the brine … next day after a thorough washing I cooked them with pork side meat in my WONDERFUL Cuisinart Pressure Cooker (Bobby Flay's Fav) and once it reaches pressure, I have the most SCRUMPTIOUS beans EVER in TEN MINUTES! (Normally takes 2+ hours!) The beans truly are SO creamy inside … THANKS SO MUCH!
but you can"t use the soak to cook the beans…bye bye flavor and vitamins
why does my sound system work with all the other U tube videos but not with this one ??
This worked out great! Best beans I have ever made. Thank you sooooo much!
After many years of hearing "never add salt until the beans are (mostly) cooked", it is a pleasure to see that America's Test Kitchen took on the myth and came up with the better way to make beans…..Brine them…..add that salt right up front during soaking! Thanks so much!!
Now, I will share something that has made my cooking of beans more successful: Using a Le Crueset "Chef's Oven", I cook the beans in the oven, at 305 F Using lima beans as an example, I find that they are more whole , yet tender on the inside. On top of the stove the skins tend to fall off and the cooked beans are less pleasant. By using the Chef's Oven, I don't have to stir them….and they don't get overdone. I cook the limas for about 90 minutes…..at least that is when I first check to see how they are doing. Yes, the lid is slightly cracked during the cooking & Usually there is a ham bone, tomatoes and so forth in with the soup. 305 F on this oven assures there is a reasonable gentle simmer.
Going forward, I will add the brining technique to the repertoire .
ok, I just HAVE to kick this out here: I have been wondering for decades why, when I use raw dry beans, they are so tough. No recipe ANYWHERE ever said to brine the beans. Even when cooking for 12 hours… still tough.
I tried your method and IT WORKS !!! I had a cajun recipe for red beans and rice and it was PERFECT !!!
(Oh, and I'm a great fan of your show)
I just LOVE these ladies & this channel!
Thank you Test Kitchen! This was the episode that I was seeking like the great white whale. But your website wanted payment. Now here it is in all its Glory. Am I being too dramatic? I have a ton of kids, I needed to know how to do this very very badly.
What's the kosher/crystal salt equivalency? Is it still 2 Tbsp of Diamond Kosher salt = 1 Tbsp of table salt?
That is nice to know and if I found a woman who could cook like you I would still be married and I would be a happy camper.
Can you use the same method for chickpeas too?
I've watched this video over and over…. so after brining them overnight can you cook the beans in a salty solution as in a smoked ham Shank stock / broth. I understand that cooking them in a salt solution cause them to become Mealy but does that apply when you also brine them overnight
Can you use this method on other beans like Fava?
3T salt in 4 quarts cold water 2 cups of beans?
Why is it necessary to cook beans in three times the water after they have been presoaked overnight and doubled in size? It seems like a lot of wasted water
I am just fascinated with the plastic wrap situation in the background.
this video answered a lot of my questions. thank u!
Can you do the same with pinto beans?
These were fantastic! I just tried this technique with 15 bean soup. I was worried the beans would be too salty because Id' be cooking them with a leftover ham bone (with quite a bit of ham leftover on it), but I took a chance. ATK hasn't let me down yet! I'll be using this bean brining technique from now on. I brined them a little over 12 hours. The beans were creamy and no blown out beans either. Thank you! Superb beans!!
How much sodium does this add to a serving (? 1/2 cup or what?) We eat way too much sodium and people like my husband with CHF are harmed terribly by this.
Soaked pinto beans for 12 hrs in your brine method, cooked for 2 hrs. And still had some beans that,were not soft! This may work well for Liam beans but not for pinto.
The difference this method makes is unbelievable. Thank you so much. I love how you use scientific methods to make food better.