Bad beans

[Tabitha]

I have been making the same red beans and rice recipe for years. I never deviate from my recipe and they have always come out exactly the same every time. Until today. I tried making them today and the beans refused to cook. I mean, they cooked, but they didn't ever really soften and get mushy like they're supposed to. I know I didn't do anything different so it got me wondering if it could have been the beans. Has anyone else ever had this happen?

[simplegal]

Oh, yes I have had this happen before with all kinds of different beans at one time or another. I am not sure why it happens but I do know that if you get a bad batch it doesn't matter how long you cook them they won't get any softer!

[Tabitha]

Huh. Well, thanks for confirming that for me, simplegal I thought I was going crazy, lol. That's really, really weird that there are bad batches of beans out there. I hope I never have that happen again. What a pain to go through all that trouble and all those wasted ingredients only to find out the beans aren't going to cook.

[Robertbrown]

Huh. Well, thanks for confirming that for me, simplegal I thought I was going crazy, lol. That's really, really weird that there are bad batches of beans out there. I hope I never have that happen again. What a pain to go through all that trouble and all those wasted ingredients only to find out the beans aren't going to cook.

I usaully soak the beans over night in lightly salted water to reduce cooking times. if you do this you will find out the condition of the beans before spend the time and ingredients to cook them. If they don't soften up, they go in the compost.

[Neo25]

I would think it was the beans then, if you did everything the same. It had to be the beans. I always soak my beans for the night too before I use them. I think it softens them up and allows the flavor to come out more.