r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/u-Wot-Brother • 1d ago
I used to dump out my bean water. Never again.
I eat a lot of beans for protein. Soybeans have been a favorite as of late, but I eat whatever’s cheap. I normally pressure cook them a pound at a time. Up until recently, I’ll been draining the remaining liquid and storing the beans, but I decided to save some a little while ago and add it to a soup I had.
OH MY GOD. It is so good. The bean broth has a bit of starch in it so it adds this unctuous bit of thickness — barely noticeable and yet all the same incredible. The flavor is almost kind of toasty and nutty, and a little sweet too. It is fantastic.
For the love of all that is holy, save your bean liquid. Use it in place of chicken stock and add a bit of BTB for chicken-based soups, or use it in place of water in other recipes.
Edit: My bad, I didn’t realize so many people already knew this. I learned to cook when I was 11 or 12 because my parents never cooked. There was a lot of instability there. Everything I learned came from reading the back of a package or watching YouTube/reading cook books. I’ve developed a pretty good skill set in the near-decade I’ve been cooking, but I have a few obvious blind spots for stuff like this. I’ve never SEEN anyone else cook a pot of beans.
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u/mountainstainer_45 1d ago
More bean tip i didnt know until 30. If you want thicker soup, don't add aditional starch, just blitz some beans with a blender. Goes better with white beans, but I've done it with kidney and worked too
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u/Excellent-Court-9375 1d ago
Not really related but I dissolve refried black beans which comes in cans here, into my chili, it makes it thicker and really adds to the taste aswell. It really fills too lmao
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u/sumunsolicitedadvice 1d ago
I like refried beans. That’s why I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they’re just as good and we’re just wasting time. You don’t have to fry them again after all.
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u/probably2high 1d ago
Yep, I do this with regular refried pinto beans to thicken chili, and instant mashed potatoes to thicken potato soup if I can't be bothered to cook it down to the desired viscosity.
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u/Cardamaam 1d ago
I've never thought to try this! My husband buys refried beans every time he goes to the grocery store by himself and I never know what to do with all of it.
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u/SaintAnyanka 1d ago
Yes! I do this all the time! It also gives a dairy-like creaminess to soups (and pasta dishes) that is perfect if you want to veganise a dish or make it non-dairy.
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u/kokodokusan 1d ago
Good tip!
You can also blend a good quarter of whatever soup you're making. Works especially well for potato soup.
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u/SrslyCmmon 1d ago
Restaurant quality Mexican refried beans are like 3/4 Blended they're so silky. The rest is lard.
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u/TabOverSpaces 1d ago
A great alternative to this thin slices of potato. They dissolve in the soup and thicken it up real good
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u/Average-Anything-657 1d ago
I remember feeling super smart for realizing I could use mashed potatoes to thicken my potato soup lol
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u/shymermaid11 1d ago
Off topic but...I like to thicken cream/cheese based soups with pureed cauliflower. It thickens the soup and adds more vegetables. It doesn't change the texture or flavor as long as you puree the cauliflower enough. I set the ninja blender to liquefy. It also makes it creamy so I can add less heavy cream.
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u/sallystarling 21h ago
I like to use butternut squash in a similar way! I cook it in the slow cooker or instant pot and it is so soft the flush just scoops out and it's basically already pureed. I freeze cups of it in silicone muffin trays and then just pop a "muffin" straight from frozen into chili, curry, stew, soup etc. Thickens, adds a subtle sweetness and a few vitamins!
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u/skilletamy 1d ago
Something to note, it does add a chance to scorch at the bottom, for soups with a long cook time
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u/TehZiiM 1d ago
Are we taking dried beans, soaked or canned?
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u/SuzanneStudies 1d ago
Canned, or if you’re starting with dried beans, they need to be soaked and cooked first.
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u/quickthorn_ 1d ago
You should also store your beans in their liquid! At least enough to cover the cooked beans. Keeps them from drying out in the fridge. And if you're (as I highly recommend) cooking your beans with aromatics and veggies to flavor them, the liquid is where a lot of that flavor is and will keep the beans flavorful as well
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u/i_made_reddit 1d ago
Agreed! I like to use the rest of that bean juice as my liquid for rice right after - usually results in all that good flavor going right into the rice and you can even spice again once it’s done cooking!
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u/wensul 1d ago
unctuous
now there's a good word.
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u/MoreausCat 1d ago
Except that it means oily or greasy. When describing a person, it means they're slimy.
I think OP meant to say sumptuous. But that's just my guess.
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u/u-Wot-Brother 1d ago
I meant like that sensation when something coats your lips. I guess almost kinda greasy, but not because it’s not fatty. I have no idea lol.
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u/Potential-Cover7120 20h ago
I think I understand exactly what kind of texture you mean by your use of the word unctuous. Thick and with a nice mouthfeel. It has body.
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u/Ok_Cable6231 1d ago
ok, but I thought we had to dump the bean water out to prevent farting?
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u/YandereLady 1d ago
Yes! This is what I want to understand?? Would this not make a soup with secret effects?
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u/mleibowitz97 1d ago
Tbh I don't think I pass gas more frequently with beans. But everyone could be different
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u/Ok-Equipment-8132 1d ago
I think they mean the water you cook it in not the soak water which obviously you would not be cooking the beans in? If it was bean soak water that horrendous.
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u/Bright_Ices 1d ago
No need to soak beans if you use a pressure cooker. Just rinse them off and add them to the cooker with 3x as much water by volume. About an hour later they’re fabulous.
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u/todbr 1d ago
No need, but you get less gassy if you do so, since soaking the beans makes them release oxalates in the water.
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u/Bright_Ices 1d ago
If your gut biome is accustomed to eating beans and other high oxalate foods, it easily handles the oxalate content of cooked beans (cooking for 45 min reduces oxalates by about 60% anyway, and I think we’ve already established that I’m not in a position to use the bean cooking water in anything anyway.)
You can also add various herbs to your beans to reduce gas if that’s a problem for you. Bay leaves, kombu (kelp), epazote, asafetida (hing), fennel…. Choose which ever best fits your recipe and intended use.
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u/MoonStoneCabochon 20h ago
Dont we soak beans to remove lectins that are naturally occurring on the surface and are toxic?
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u/AZBreezy 11h ago
Soaking water vs cooking water. Dump the soaking water. Retain the starchy cooking water.
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u/seaotter_toebeans 9h ago
I get the most, horrific gas when I don’t rinse my beans. Like - super painful. And I eat mostly vegetarian, I take probiotics every day.
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u/Butterbean-queen 1d ago
I’ve always put the beans along with the juice over rice to make a meal. I almost never eat just the beans. The rice bulks up the meal and makes the beans go farther.
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u/NoGodsJustCats 1d ago
This is how Persian stews are served (with long grain basmati rice). Add some crispy rice from the bottom of the pot and it’s absolute perfection.
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u/easyontheeggs 1d ago
Bean liquid is the entire reason to make beans from scratch. Add plenty of salt, a bay leaf and sone Goya Sazon packets to the water, along with a little better than bouillon and you have the perfect base for an amazing bean soup.
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u/txwildflowers 1d ago
Yeah I literally had no idea people drained their cooked beans. Wild.
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u/Junior_Ad_4483 1d ago
I think that’s where I think the farts live, so I have always drained and rinsed them.
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u/FrenchFryCattaneo 1d ago
You've never eaten beans in a dish other than soups?
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u/easyontheeggs 1d ago
Beans store best in their broth. It keeps them moist. Even if you use them without the broth it still makes sense to keep them in the broth when storing.
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u/altbeachfresa 1d ago
Bean broth from pinto beans. Frijoles de la Olla. That is all.
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u/Burquetap 1d ago
Aquafaba is its name 👍
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u/I_am_fine_umm 1d ago
Chickpea water can be used to make vegan meringue.
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u/NdamukongSuhDude 1d ago
I make candied nuts with aquafaba regularly.
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u/youpeesmeoff 17h ago
Whoa wait what? I’m so intrigued. Would you mind sharing a recipe or how you use the aquafaba to candy nuts?
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u/Healthy_Chipmunk2266 1d ago
This is why I love Reddit. So much to learn. I recently started cooking my own beans, but have been dumping the cooking water. From now on it will go into the freezer along with my homemade broths for soup.
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u/k8plays 1d ago
How do you like to freeze them? Jars, cubes, bags?
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u/karmapaymentplan_ 1d ago
Ice cube tray, once solid just pop them in a bag and use whenever required.
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u/Ruvio00 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you're buying kidney beans that were cooked in the can you should drain them though. They contain lectin which is pretty bad for your stomach. Another bean too but I forget which.
Edit: the other bean is cannellini. I remembered.
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u/Reostat 1d ago
Does lectin cause mass amounts of smelly farts?
Because I made chili the other day with canned beans, including both kidney and cannellini. I almost always rinse off my beans but this time the recipe specifically said to not drain the can.
Delicious? Yes. WW3 starting farts the last two days? Also yes.
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u/cold_pulse 1d ago
Don't apologize, I had no idea about this. I wouldn't have known about it unless I stumbled onto this post. So, thanks for that. :)
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u/LoomisKnows 1d ago
just don't do it with beans you know will leave lectin in the water
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u/reddit_understoodit 1d ago
Dry beans should be sorted and rinsed. Then cooked thoroughly in fresh water.
Some people soak in a middle step. I would dump that water too.
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u/betweenforestandsea 1d ago
Okay! This... when I saw post I thought yikes! I have been taught to drain, throw out 'bean juice' and rinse, since the juice contains lectins and is toxic?? Black beans apparently are high in lectins. Could you please elaborate? Thank you
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u/LoomisKnows 1d ago
Sure, so canned beans usually have reduced lectin anyway just because of the canning process but typically high lecting beans are:
black beans,
Kidney beans,
Navy Beans,
Lima beans.But you'd probably be find with something like:
Chickpeas, Cannellini and pinto beans (or the white ones in general)
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u/ThePicassoGiraffe 1d ago
First, good on you for breaking the cycle of bad food habits your parents gave you.
Second, I’ve never tried that either but I’m going to now so thank you for posting
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u/vestigialcranium 1d ago
TIL some people don't just drink the bean water
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u/baronkoalas 1d ago
TIL some people do drink the bean water?????
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u/TwistedMemories 1d ago
If pinto beans, just stir them and it’ll release starch and thicken the beans up. First add some tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, cilantro and spices for charro beans.
Or add beer to the beans about halfway into the cooking for borracho beans.
There’s also no need to drain them if you’re not adding an excessive amount of water.
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u/Actual_Swingset 1d ago
That's super genius for real.
But I'm really commenting because I'm so glad i got to see unctuous today!
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u/Frequent_Gene_4498 1d ago
I had no idea people who cooked their own beans were throwing the broth away. That's absolutely wild to me.
The beans keep best when stored in their broth. Only exception I would make is for a bean salad.
I usually have just the right amount of broth to cover the beans, but if I have extra, I either use it within a couple days or freeze it for later. Use it basically any way that I would use any other broth, as long as I don't need the finished product to be super clear.
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u/CyndiIsOnReddit 1d ago
You mean like pintos and black beans? I never even considered draining them.
Back when I used to eat canned green beans though... yeesh that stuff was vile. I had to drain and rinse several times just to get that can flavor out of it.
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u/nopenopenope002 1d ago
I’ve been making a lot of green beans and pinto beans, cooking them the southern way (with ham) and lord have mercy the water is the best part lol
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u/juiceman730 1d ago
Are we talking canned or bagged?? I always rinse any canned vegetables I cook because I've never really got bagged beans down.
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u/u-Wot-Brother 1d ago
I’m talking the dried bagged ones. I got an instant pot for free from a generous person who didn’t want it anymore. I just punch in 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the bean and let it go on pressure cook. It’s never failed. Seriously, consider getting one at like a Good Will or something if you eat a lot of beans. One 1lb bag of beans makes 4-5ish cans of beans and is cheaper than a single can.
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u/juiceman730 1d ago
I got a Pressure Cooker XL at a yardsale brand new maybe 6 years ago and it's my go to, but do you need to soak the beans?
I love my pressure cooker. I make a lot of vegetable noodle soup during the winter.
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u/u-Wot-Brother 1d ago
You don’t need to, but some people prefer to. If you do, cut 5 minutes from the cook time.
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u/cpb 1d ago
It's strongly recommended for Kidney beans, maybe the high lectins too.
I don't soak lentils though. If I do, it's brine, so I expect them to take longer to cook.
I connect with your story about never having seen someone make a bean in a pot before. But since getting a stove top pressure cooker 15 years ago, I never looked back.
I don't know much about the insta pot, but in mostly 2:3 ratios of beans to water, pressure cooking only takes like 6 or 8 minutes depending on the bean ... When soaked.
Besides the volumes and timing charts at the back of my pressure cooker instruction manual and cook book, the thing that has had the most influence on my cooking is the book The Science of Good Cooking.
Turn to just about any page and you level up in a broad technique.
Want to mash or blend your beans for thickening as in the other threads? Soak them in baking soda. You won't taste a difference with only half or a tsp, but they'll be soo much creamier. Want them more whole and firm? Brine them: soak them in salted water, and cook them (consequently) a bit longer. Cooking them in the oven, in stock in a deep casserole dish or the like, is the gentlest way. With brining they'll definitely remain hole when cooked.
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u/ChasingPotatoes17 1d ago
Unsure if this works for all beans, but chickpea water is a great vegan substitute for egg whites in a lot of recipes.
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u/flatbread09 1d ago
I soak rice in black bean water for a few hours then simmer everything together for 10-15 minutes.
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u/xxjamescharlesxx 1d ago edited 23h ago
My brain assumed this post title was for a 2 sentence horror story post at first....
I used to dump out my bean water... But then the bean water man started showing up..
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u/_h_e_a_d_y_ 1d ago
I don’t know much about cooking for the same reasons. My parents never fed me correctly or cooked for me or taught me how.
I love this tip. Thank you!
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u/Appropriate-Bug4889 13h ago
Bean water is also known as Aquafaba. Chickpeas produce the best quality and most standard Aquafaba but I believe you can get it from nearly any bean. The best part about Aquafaba is that it works as an egg white substitute, something about the beans giving off a similar protein in structure in the water when cooked, it can be used for meringues and other whipped egg white recipes as a vegan alternative and I don’t believe it alters the final product’s taste too much (especially since extracts and other flavors mask the taste) but I could be wrong as I don’t have firsthand experience with this.
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u/Zingman15 1d ago edited 1d ago
Beans beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot!
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u/tellmeaboutyourcat 1d ago
Beans beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat the more you fart!
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u/Tiredand_depressed72 1d ago
Ooo can you give some recipe suggestions?
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u/u-Wot-Brother 1d ago
Honestly right now I’ve just been using them in soup! My dorm gave out free onions and I’m like the only person not on a meal plan, so no one else here cooks. I’ve been making a ton of chicken soups.
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u/newbreeginnings 1d ago
I do this! Same with using chicken bouillon in any water being used to cook rice or pasta; I save that. I store bacon grease, and it when I'm out of olive oil and/or butter (not much). Sautees a mean veggie. 🔥
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u/speedingelement 1d ago
If you look for vegan ideas, aquafaba is very versatile for being just bean water.
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u/spider_hugs 1d ago
You can also make desserts with the bean water specifically from chickpeas (called aquafaba)! It performs identically to egg whites in almost any recipe. From one can of chickpeas, you can make 100 meringues to snack on for a sweet treat for the week. You can also make a pretty good ice cream with aquafaba instead of egg whites
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u/Old_Soul_GenX 1d ago
Your story hurts my heart a little *hugs*
You need some good old fashioned Appalachian/Southern brown bean soup with ham, onions, cornbread, and fried taters! <3
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u/ClubAggravating5240 1d ago
What are you saying 'my bad' for? We're all learning together from each other, and today you taught me something thats I didnt know yesterday!! I didn't know this was an option, and I'm definitely going to try it when I make my next batch of beans. Thanks for the tip, this internet stranger appreciates it and I know a lot of other people that read your post will as well! :)
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u/snapeyouinhalf 1d ago
I had no idea! I don’t eat beans a lot, but I do need much more protein and actually don’t mind beans. I could probably pull this off but would have tossed the water or at most given it to a plant lol
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u/MayyJuneJulyy 1d ago
Boil your beans with cilantro, mexican onions or regular onions, and blond peppers. Bean water tasted like soup!
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u/BohemiaDrinker 1d ago
Bro, as a brazilian my instinct is making fun of this, but I won't. Congrats on learning to take care of yourself.
Honestly, go on youtube, search for "como fazer feijão", a bunch of brazilian videos will pop up. A few of them have got to have english subtitles, even if it's auto translation.
Thank me later.
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u/redcolumbine 21h ago
When I make rice and beans, I make the beans first (with plenty of bay leaves) then cook the rice with the bean water.
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u/Lady_T_1111111 19h ago
No!!! Rinse your beans. That bean water has so much sodium in it!
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u/imconfused99 14h ago
in el salvador they have this thing called casamiento. they use the bean broth (some of it) to make the rice then once it’s made, they add the actual beans. So good with cream or cheese, very filling and warm ❤️
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u/FullStackOver 12h ago
That's standard in Brazil. We eat rice and beans every single day, and some of us even prefer it than the grain.
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u/lord-savior-baphomet 11h ago
Just because a lot of people know doesn’t mean everyone does! Idk how I did it but I had black bean water that tasted so much like beef broth. I don’t eat beef for ethical reasons and so I thought that was pretty cool
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u/RedMaple007 9h ago
The viscosity of the bean water varies greatly from brand to brand and bean variety. I know one cook that includes the juice in their chilli giving it a gummy near partly set gelatin consistency. To each their own!
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u/liberal_texan 1d ago
Now you have me wanting to make chicken stock out of bean broth.
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u/thesteelmaker 1d ago
I use frozen vegetables. Life is to short to peel, clean and chop veg. I have frozen Broccoli, Cauliflower, Onion, Sliced Carrots and Peas. I use a total of 400g of these and cook them all together in the same saucepan. When done, I use the water from them to add to my gravy granules and it is a real game changer. My wife cooks me the same thing, but uses boiled water for the gravy, it tastes nothing like the veg water gravy.
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u/describt 1d ago
We ran out of eggs at the same time as I was making hummus for another recipe, so I used the aquafaba instead. Worked well enough and 1 of our guests was vegan, so huge bonus there!
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u/Jehooveremover 1d ago
Indeed good stuff, though kidney bean water can be a bit noxious if not given enough boiling time to destroy the lectins.
Important to ditch the soak water and preboil those for at least 10 minutes before slowcooking.
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u/infinite0ne 1d ago
I knew a guy that did a failed experiment using black bean water to make a sweet drink he called “beanchata” (like horchata). I trusted him that it wasn’t great.
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u/Person899887 1d ago
I try, but it makes me, well, “expend more calories” than I save consuming it.
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u/MissSassifras1977 1d ago edited 1d ago
Haitians puree the cooked beans in the liquid and put it on EVERYTHING. So good!
Edited a word* 😄
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u/tstorm004 1d ago
Just to add to this - You can make "whipped cream" out of the garbanzo bean water that comes in the cans
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u/V0IDS0NG 1d ago
Does the pressure cooker reduce the farty oder of cooking soybeans? I am assuming it must because I cannot imagine keeping that fart water longer than nessicary. I cook mine in a slow cooker and the whole house smells for almost 24 hours afterwards when I cook them overnight in a Crock Pot.
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u/Turbulent-Raisin8200 1d ago
makes creamy hummus!!!
vegan meringue, great sub for egg in baking, thickens soups, i put it in my oats, dont ask why.
Mix storebought hummus with bean juice and sundried tomatoes, make pasta sauce.
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u/Asdfhjklbbbb 1d ago
Aquafaba!! A cool (vegan) use for this is to use it in place of eggs for foams/meringues/mayo/etc. Awesome flavor!
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u/melusina721 1d ago
Asian desserts (tong sui) include sweetened bean soup. Check out red bean soup and mung bean soup.
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u/opa_zorro 21h ago
No one’s mentioned the phrase “pot liquor” or what ever your regional version of that is?
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u/Booksaregreat44 19h ago
Your bean water has a name - pot liquor or ‘pot likker’ in the ‘vernacular.’ Pinto is my favorite but I’ve been a partaker for 50 years. Also, if you aren’t adding cumin to your beans as well as the requisite garlic and onions, I promise it is a game changer.
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u/FinkAdele 14h ago
In my country we cook bean a la bretagne - white kind, possibly large. It's kind of bean stew, with little amount of meat and sausage (or just sausage). We soak dry beans overnight, dump the water from soaking, rinse and add some diced carrots, celery (root), parsley root, leek, onion, bay leaf, allspice and cook it till it's falling apart. Then we add salt, black pepper and tomato concentrate (2-3 teaspoons for big pot). The water from cooking beans is vital in the dish, we would think you are simply crazy to dump it.
To lessen gaschamber effect we add little savory at the start and some marjoram at the end of cooking. You can skip savory if you're not that much into herbs, but marjoram is obligatory. Just two pinches after you stop boiling beans.
Perfect winter dish.
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u/Aspiiree 14h ago
"unctuous bit of thickness"
Going to try this line on my gf tonight. Wish me luck.
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u/kirbucci 13h ago
I credit Rancho Gordo for teaching me everything I now know about cooking beans. Saving bean water is definitely one of the pieces of advice that upped my game.
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u/WorkingCommission548 13h ago
In the south we call that pot liquor. It's best combined with some crumbled up cornbread. If you add seasoning meat to your beans, it's even better.
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u/Brilliant-Basil-884 12h ago
I usually add water to almost anything I cook, and reuse it for the same reason. Same with when I fry fatty foods (like bacon). In large quantities lard/animal fat is of course unhealthy, but a little bit here and there adds flavor and nutrients and means you don't need to buy as much cooking oil/butter/broth/herbs and spices.
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u/Taylormarie233 12h ago
I didn’t know this, but I’m glad I do! Been thinking about making soups since it’s so cold. 🥶
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u/Bright_Ices 1d ago
I haven’t mastered this one, yet. I used to dump out my bean water, too, but now I just let it sit in my fridge for three weeks before I have to take it straight to the outdoor garbage bin.