If you're farting from beans, soak them first.

[meggiemerma]

This is regarding another post. I just recently discovered this so I thought I'd share. Once you soak dried beans in a large ratio of water for 24 hours, take a spoon and scrape off the foam and bubbles. This is the starch that gives a lot of people farts. It's essentially -- "the fart starch".

[Muay Jin]

Wow, i suppose you learn something new everyday, eh?

[ghost]

actually I've been learning that you have to cook the beans in a ceratin way. I would soak the beans overnight and I would still get gas. But for 24 hrs?? I also read that vinegar would help.. soaking in vinegar. When serving put cayenne pepper and lemon/lime juice. Another thing is to boil the beans at least 10 minutes at the beginning of cooking. Might want to skim off the foam as well that pops up. Also.. Cook your beans with no salt. That will break down the sugar.

Read these recipes also that might help. http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetari ... ut-gas.php they have specific instructions for making "beans without gas".

Tbh... all this has been helping me, though I don't know whether soaking for 24 hrs is necessary, I DO know that since I have tried it (only because I didn't have time to make the beans, they sat in my fridge for like 2 days, in vinegar and I always changed the water every so often and put vinegar again, 2 tablespoons) I think it completely eliminated my gas. I'm not too sure though because I did get gas after my grandmother made some and I mixed my beans with hers and I got a little gas. Anyway.. I will be experimenting more.

[meggiemerma]

I haven't heard of the vinegar but it sounds like it would work, too. Maybe it keeps them from going bad while soaking.

Some beans, like soy, take longer. Here are some soaking times by bean:

http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/bean-categories.html

The Mexican vegetarian chef that mentioned the long hours said even 2 or 3 days more will remove most if not all of the starch. In just a few hours, only a portion of it floats to the surface. Well, most people don't have the patience to plan for that. I give it a day to get a nice fluffy layer of the stuff.

[ghost]

hmm.. I didn't even get none of that 'starch' floating to the top with my cannelinni beans.

[xbojanx]

Hmm, word fart comes to often on this board lately

[ghost]

farty

[puppydog]

generally you should use 3:1 water to beans, cover and soak.

for things like split peas, and beans, 8 hours is enough (i thought) but up to 12 or more is fine.

then you drain and rinse, then cook again 3:1 water to beans.

[KaliBaby]

Hmm, word fart comes to often on this board lately

hahaha

[ghost]

hm yeah I think vinegar soaking for 24 hrs really does it. It's the second time I've done it and I got no gas... maybe also the herbs I use? I just use a weird concoction of herbs that I just found in my kitchen cabinet lol. But this time I didn't use garlic or onion since I heard those can give gas.

[ghost]

Gas-Free Soak: (The best method for gas-free beans, developed by the California Dry Bean Advisory Board.) In a 5-quart sauce- pan, place 1 pound of beans in 10 or more cups of boiling water; boil for 2-3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight.
By morning, 75 to 90 percent of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water.
http://www.recipezaar.com/49960

[xbojanx]

California Dry Bean Advisory Board

Are you serious

[emm7]

California Dry Bean Advisory Board

Are you serious

I couldn't believe it myself but
http://www.calbeans.com/

[Carin]

What also helps is Kombu, this is a seaweed. It helps also to shorter the cooking time.
You put the Kombu in the cooking water with the beans till they are soft. And you can use the Kombu after it again.

[alessioisonfire]

i only ever used to have that kind of problem right at the beginning when i wasn't used to eat them regularly (that is, now i eat them 3/4 times a week)

maybe your body just needs to get used to them?
they also say that cooking them with a couple of bay leaves helps in that respect.