Okay, so I decided to try “gelding beans” – yeah, I didn’t even know that was a thing until a few days ago. Apparently, it’s supposed to make the beans, uh, less “musical,” if you catch my drift. Less gas, basically.
My Bean-Gelding Adventure
First, I grabbed a bag of dried pinto beans. I figured I’d start with a classic. I dumped them into a big bowl and covered them with plenty of water. The instructions I found said to soak them overnight, so that’s what I did. I just left them on the counter, doing their soaking thing.
Next morning, the beans were all plumped up. I drained the water – that’s the first key step, they said. Get rid of that soaking water! Then I put the beans in a big pot and added fresh water, enough to cover them by a couple of inches.
Here’s where the “gelding” part comes in. I brought the water to a rolling boil, and then I let them boil hard for about 10 minutes. The instructions emphasized not to add salt yet, because that supposedly toughens the beans. Just plain, boiling water.
After 10 minutes, I took the pot off the heat and let the beans sit in that hot water for an hour. Another soaking, but this time in hot water. They called it a “hot soak.”
Finally, I drained that water off too, and now, supposedly, my beans were “gelded.” I rinsed them one last time, just to be sure. At this point, They are able to cooking!
- Soak the beans overnight.
- Boil them hard for 10 minutes.
- Hot soak for an hour.
- Drain and rinse.
Then you can cook as your favorite!
