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• Reputation: 276 Q&A: 8 0 0 118 2 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 4 topics Best of 2010: Cooking and Cocktails Alternavores Cooking Tips & Tricks The Chosen Food Follow Following 0

  3 0 I've very occasionally had dried beans around that maybe were very old (like multiple years), and had this kind of behavior where they just wouldn't soften. You aren't adding salt during the cooking process, right? That is thought to toughen beans. Other than that, you may just need to compost these beans and buy some fresher ones. Michael @ Herbivoracious.com answered in Cooking Tips & Tricks about 1 year ago | Report 7 comments by Sacrelicious, Michael @ Herbivoracious.com, and Sacrelicious… 0 0 Well, these were relatively fresh (purchased right from the farm last May). I did add salt to the recipe, but that was after they'd been soaked for 2 days and boiled for a while, so they had a pretty decent salt-free window. Sacrelicious commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 Well, ideally you wouldn't add salt until they are fully tender... so you can try that next time. For now, try adding maybe a teaspoon of baking soda to the pot as a last ditch effort. That is often recommended for softening, though some folks don't care for the resulting texture. At this point, you have nothing to lose since no-one likes crunchy chickpeas. Michael @ Herbivoracious.com commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 Thank you! I will do that right this second. And hold back on the salt next time. I think we could probably eat them as is, but it seems like begging for an epic stomachache. Sacrelicious commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 By the way, I kind of wonder if maybe those fresh-from-the-farm beans weren't as represented, or maybe had some issues in the growing/processing/storing that affected them. They just shouldn't be giving you that much grief. Michael @ Herbivoracious.com commented about 1 year ago | Report 1 0 It's totally possible. But they're the same batch of chickpeas that I've cooked with no trouble two or three times before, so I'm inclined to think the problem was with me. Chickpeas are now foaming merrily and smelling slightly of soap. Sacrelicious commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 So? How did it turn out? All Day Breakfast commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Salvagable. The chickpeas never did get soft like they were supposed to, but they were al dente enough that we could eat them and not get sick. I'm curious to see if this happens again next time, as I still don't know what messed it up! Sacrelicious commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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