Yes, I know they are called borlotti, but I am trying to cook some
from 2018, and they are taking hours (several) in a pressure cooker,
or days (several) in a slow cooker. Has anyone discovered a way of
getting them to soften any faster?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 26/02/2020 16:33, Nick Maclaren wrote:
Yes, I know they are called borlotti, but I am trying to cook some
from 2018, and they are taking hours (several) in a pressure cooker,
or days (several) in a slow cooker. Has anyone discovered a way of
getting them to soften any faster?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Have you tried soaking them overnight in a bowl of water?

I expect that you already know this but it is not advised to add salt
when cooking the beans. You can add it later to taste but not while
cooking as it toughens them up.

--
I'm a sew and sow!

In article , Primrose wrote:

Yes, I know they are called borlotti, but I am trying to cook some
from 2018, and they are taking hours (several) in a pressure cooker,
or days (several) in a slow cooker. Has anyone discovered a way of
getting them to soften any faster?

Have you tried soaking them overnight in a bowl of water?

I already put boiling water on, let it cool, throw it away and repeat
until the water is clear - this helps to reduce wind.

I expect that you already know this but it is not advised to add salt
when cooking the beans. You can add it later to taste but not while
cooking as it toughens them up.

I do. No salt.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

snipped

Have you tried soaking them overnight in a bowl of water?

I already put boiling water on, let it cool, throw it away and repeat
until the water is clear - this helps to reduce wind.

I expect that you already know this but it is not advised to add salt
when cooking the beans. You can add it later to taste but not while
cooking as it toughens them up.

I do. No salt.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Well that is a mystery to me, you want Heston Blumenthal on your case,
he loves a challenge.;-)

I read somewhere that hard water can cause beans to be a bit tough but I
can't really believe that as I've cooked beans for years and I live in a
hard water area!
--
I'm a sew and sow!

In article , Primrose wrote:

Well that is a mystery to me, you want Heston Blumenthal on your case,
he loves a challenge.;-)

I read somewhere that hard water can cause beans to be a bit tough but I
can't really believe that as I've cooked beans for years and I live in a
hard water area!

It's specifically Borlotti and, I believe, mainly ones of older than
a year. I shall be testing that in due course. My water isn't
more than mildly hard.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Mon, 2 Mar 2020 13:34:13 Nick Maclaren wrote:

In article , Primrose wrote:

Well that is a mystery to me, you want Heston Blumenthal on your case,
he loves a challenge.;-)

I read somewhere that hard water can cause beans to be a bit tough but I
can't really believe that as I've cooked beans for years and I live in a
hard water area!

It's specifically Borlotti and, I believe, mainly ones of older than
a year. I shall be testing that in due course. My water isn't
more than mildly hard.

Is it possible that Borlotti simply don't age as well as other
varieties? Are older-than-a-year Borlotti beans able to germinate, for
instance?

I usually have quite a stock of old beans (5+ years!) and, when I find
they won't germinate, neither will they soften through cooking.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

In article ,
David Rance wrote:

Is it possible that Borlotti simply don't age as well as other
varieties? Are older-than-a-year Borlotti beans able to germinate, for
instance?

Yes, reliably, though I have not tried very old ones.

I usually have quite a stock of old beans (5+ years!) and, when I find
they won't germinate, neither will they soften through cooking.

Interesting.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 02/03/2020 15:54, David Rance wrote:
snipped

Is it possible that Borlotti simply don't age as well as other
varieties? Are older-than-a-year Borlotti beans able to germinate, for
instance?

I usually have quite a stock of old beans (5+ years!) and, when I find
they won't germinate, neither will they soften through cooking.

David

That could be it, old beans...has beans!:-)

--
I'm a sew and sow!

On Mon, 2 Mar 2020 17:39:21 Primrose wrote:

On 02/03/2020 15:54, David Rance wrote:
snipped
Is it possible that Borlotti simply don't age as well as other
varieties? Are older-than-a-year Borlotti beans able to germinate, for
instance?
I usually have quite a stock of old beans (5+ years!) and, when I
find they won't germinate, neither will they soften through cooking.
David

That could be it, old beans...has beans!:-)

groan

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK