Why do you have to soak or boil chickpeas before cooking in an IP?

[cindyleigh]

Can't the Instant Pot do both?

Why do you soak beans prior to cooking in general?

[Kumbaya]

I thought it was to re-hydrate them so you're not cooking little rocks.

[redkitty]

Can't the Instant Pot do both?

Why do you soak beans prior to cooking in general?

It is partially to help speed up the process of them cooking and help break down enzymes. Not sure about the instant pot part, but that is partially why you soak them otherwise.

[bookworm1]

Soaking also pulls out some of the sugars that can make you bloated and gassy as well as helps remove phytic acid which makes them hard to digest.

[cindyleigh]

Soaking also pulls out some of the sugars that can make you bloated and gassy as well as helps remove phytic acid which makes them hard to digest.

Okay. That sounds like a must-not-skip step, then.
thanks

[merigayle]

You can cook non soaked just takes longer.

[Run Amok]

Presoaked/rehydrated beans cook a little faster & more evenlyl. You can do the quick-soak method which I think in the IP is 10 minutes then let sit for an hour.

That said, you do not have to presoak. They just take longer to cook. I personally also find that I have a little more variation in doneness this way and will have some beans that will be a little over done and some a little under done.

There are tables on google that give you cooking times for dry vs presoaked.

[Run Amok]

The pre-soaking stuff is kind of a myth in general though-- here is an epicurious article on the subject. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article

[BonitaApplebum]

I'm so ashamed, I have *yet* to make beans of any sort in my IP!!!

(I did make a delicious baba ganoush the other day, though.)

[Ice Cream]

I also thought they are less likely to cause gas if soaked.

[DocBuzzkill]

The pre-soaking stuff is kind of a myth in general though-- here is an epicurious article on the subject. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/soaking-salting-dried-bean-myths-article

(It's also thought that soaking the beans breaks down some of the complex sugars that can make beans hard for some people to digest. We didn't test for digestability, because every stomach is different.)

Now that right there's some heavy-hitting science!   

This is a tad more robust:  Effect of soaking and cooking on the effect of oligosaccharides and lectins in red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgarlis)

I almost always soak beans prior to cooking on the stove top, conventional pressure cooker, or the IP, if only to leach out those fartacious oligosaccharides.

[Run Amok]

(It's also thought that soaking the beans breaks down some of the complex sugars that can make beans hard for some people to digest. We didn't test for digestability, because every stomach is different.)

Now that right there's some heavy-hitting science!   

This is a tad more robust:  Effect of soaking and cooking on the effect of oligosaccharides and lectins in red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgarlis)

I almost always soak beans prior to cooking on the stove top, conventional pressure cooker, or the IP, if only to leach out those fartacious oligosaccharides.

If I mislead anyone into thinking that epicurious was a scientific source, I sincerely apologize.  That article was interesting but I don't think it gets us any closer to the answer of whether soaking + cooking is the only way. They found that soaking & cooking significantly lowered the oligosaccharides & lectins. That just proved the anecdote. But, they didn't test whether a short soak, or even eliminating the soak would significantly reduce the offensive components. Also, they included baking soda in their soaking water. Also it would be helpful to know at what point people are sensitive to the offensive substances. Perhaps cooking alone reduces them to a tolerable level. *shrug*

[Ice Cream]

If I mislead anyone into thinking that epicurious was a scientific source, I sincerely apologize.  That article was interesting but I don't think it gets us any closer to the answer of whether soaking + cooking is the only way. They found that soaking & cooking significantly lowered the oligosaccharides & lectins. That just proved the anecdote. But, they didn't test whether a short soak, or even eliminating the soak would significantly reduce the offensive components. Also, they included baking soda in their soaking water. Also it would be helpful to know at what point people are sensitive to the offensive substances. Perhaps cooking alone reduces them to a tolerable level. *shrug*

I am full of awe that you read a scientific article on this topic in such deep detail!

[DocBuzzkill]

If I mislead anyone into thinking that epicurious was a scientific source, I sincerely apologize.  That article was interesting but I don't think it gets us any closer to the answer of whether soaking + cooking is the only way. They found that soaking & cooking significantly lowered the oligosaccharides & lectins. That just proved the anecdote. But, they didn't test whether a short soak, or even eliminating the soak would significantly reduce the offensive components. Also, they included baking soda in their soaking water. Also it would be helpful to know at what point people are sensitive to the offensive substances. Perhaps cooking alone reduces them to a tolerable level. *shrug*

It's not the only way!  You can also irradiate beans!  From New Scientist: Irradiation produces low-gas beans

Granted, the Nyombaire, Siddiq, & Dolan experiments could have used a few more timepoints, but there are other studies here and there that also suggest soaking aids in decreasing levels of oligosaccharides.

[DocBuzzkill]

Ooooh, this one's interesting:  After soaking in tap water the loss  of  oligosaccharides  was  lowest  in  red  beans  (1.25%) and  highest  in  common  white  beans  (27.6%).  Pressure cooking, without previous soaking, resulted in no oligosaccharide loss in common white beans but a loss of up to 32% in chickpeas. After pressure cooking of soaked legumes, the loss  of  stachyose  ranged  from  14.2%  in  red  beans  up  to
35.9%  for  lentils.   

So maybe it's dependent on the type of legume?

Here's the article: Oligosaccharides in raw and processed beans.  Unfortunately, the full reprint costs ~ 40 dollars.

[Run Amok]

I do know that different legumes contain differing levels. So, I guess it isn't a surprise that different things would work well with different legumes. I do tend to soak, if I have time-- because I think the taste the best and have the best texture. I'm genuinely curious if the short soak method works wrt gassiness though. Weird that pressure cooking has less of an effect???

I am full of awe that you read a scientific article on this topic in such deep detail!

 

[Chasing Amy]

This has been an educational (and entertaining!) thread.


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