Found out beans dont need to soak overnight and it saved my weeknight dinners

I used to think you HAD to soak dried beans overnight before cooking them. My mom always did it that way so I never questioned it. Then about 2 months ago I was in a rush to make chili and forgot to soak the pinto beans the night before. I looked it up online and found out you can just boil them for 10 minutes then let them sit for an hour off the heat. Worked perfectly, beans were soft and creamy. Now I can make black beans or chickpeas on a weeknight without planning a day ahead. Has anyone else skipped the overnight soak and had it work out fine?

2 comments

2 Comments

nina8343d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, didn't the texture come out a little grainy? I tried that quick soak method once and the beans had that weird almost crunchy center that overnight soaked never gives.

the_sage3d ago

Right, but I really don't get the hype about skipping the soak. I tried the quick boil method with some kidney beans for a stew and they came out with that gritty, mealy texture you mentioned. The skins were tough and the insides were still a little hard, like they didn't fully hydrate. Soaking overnight just seems to break down that starch more evenly so you get a consistent softness all the way through. I'll stick with my overnight routine, it's just not that much effort to plan ahead.