TIL my grandma's trick about soaking beans actually works

My grandma always told me to soak dried beans overnight with a pinch of baking soda. I ignored her for years. Thought it was some old wives tale. Last week I had a bag of black beans that had been sitting in my pantry since November. I did her method by accident because I ran out of time to cook. Those beans cooked in under an hour and came out creamy soft. Normally I'd boil dried beans for 2 or 3 hours and they'd still be tough in the middle. Saved me gas money and time. Has anyone else tried this with other beans like chickpeas or pintos?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_grant45d ago

Hah, guess grandma knew more than we gave her credit for, huh?

dylan_brown301d ago

Baking soda works fine but you gotta swap it out every month or so, otherwise it just sits there doing nothing. I've seen people leave the same box in there for six months and wonder why their fridge still smells like old fish. Box of Arm & Hammer is cheap enough, just toss it and grab a new one when you pay rent.

murphy.tessa5d ago

Put a little baking soda in a bowl and leave it in the back of the fridge... works every time for me when things start smelling a bit off. Grandma wasn't wrong about that one. Also just wipe down the shelves with a vinegar and water mix once a month, keeps the mold from building up. Trust me on this, I've seen fridges that looked like science experiments and this stuff saves you the headache.

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