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Quiz Show - Soaking Dried Beans Overnight

Updated: Jan 7, 2022

The term 'TCS' is often used to refer to food requiring temperature or time control for food safety. So let the games begin and test your knowledge.


Are soaking/reconstituting dried beans (legumes) turn them into a TCS food?

This may seem like a tricky situation, so I'm glad someone asked about it. So the first question is: Does it become a TCS food because it's reconstituted with water? The answer to this Quiz Show question is No - dried beans are a raw agricultural product that has not been heat treated. The soaking of beans at room temperature is allowed because they are not a TCS during this process.


The next question based on curiosity is: Why would someone soak beans overnight?

The most common reason is that they will cook faster, and the second is typically to have better quality and uniform texture.

Additionally, from a nutritional/scientific standpoint, it is believed that dried beans and peas contain anti-nutrients, which are naturally-occurring plant compounds (i.e., phytates) that can limit the body's absorption of nutrients from these foods. Soaking beans overnight, discarding the water, then cooking them in fresh water can help reduce the amount of anti-nutrient compounds.

And lastly, the question that is lurking in everyone's mind is will it reduce flatulence (gas, farting)? The science I found, said nope.

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