The toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many varieties of common bean but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by cooking beans at 100 °C (212 °F) for ten minutes. However, for dry beans the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water; the soaking water should be discarded.[2]
The ten minutes at 100 °C (212 °F) is required to degrade the toxin is much shorter than the hours required to fully cook the beans themselves. However, lower cooking temperatures may have the paradoxical effect of potentiating the toxic effect of haemagglutinin. Beans cooked at 80 °C (176 °F) are reported to be up five times as toxic as raw beans.[2] Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with the use of slow cookers, the low cooking temperatures of which may be unable to degrade the toxin.
The primary symptoms of phytohaemagglutinin poisoning are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Onset is from 1 to 3 hours after consumption of improperly prepared beans, and symptoms typically resolve within a few hours.[2] Consumption of as few as four or five raw kidney beans may be sufficient to trigger symptoms.
Beans are high in purines, which are metabolized to uric acid. Uric acid is not itself considered a toxin, but it may promote the development or exacerbation of gout. For this reason, persons with gout are often advised to limit their consumption of beans.[3] Uric acid is also an important antioxidant in humans and, according to cohort studies, might be neuroprotective in cases of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
I knew castor beans are used to make ricin, but I didn’t know about kidney and other common beans . . . so if you ground up 4-5 kidney beans and fed them to someone you could induce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea? Interesting . . . and mean.
Don’t let Cap read that part! ;D
Wait, so if slow cooked beans can be 5 times as poisonous, a single slow cooked bean may cause the symptoms? Crazy.
Which is why I soak for 16-24 hours with three water changes and then do them fast in a pressure cooker. Usually the beans are ready in less than an hour.
Gets rid of some of the oligosaccarides too and they ain’t as gassy. ;D
Just another reason to loose the crock pot, or as I call it the “crock of sh#t pot”.
…well unless you are going to get into candle making, which is fun by the way. I have found that making molds of different body parts works well for casting candles.
Chick peas are very toxic. They must be extra high in the toxins. I have heard people say to never slow cook chick peas.
I agree. Issues.
But, somehow strangely intriguing.
I’ve made candles before but in “traditional” shapes. Might be time to pull out the ol wax pot 8)
I never have been one to cook beans in the slow cooker. I do them more of the method EUGE described. But I have eat dishes prepared by others (my mother for example) with beans in the slow cooker. Never knew how close to death I was.
I do them all of the time - but then they are usually black or pinto beans which might be lower in the toxin (they say in the red kidney beans it is “especially concentrated”), and I cook them on high for 6 hours or so. I’ve never had a problem, but I’m going to have to rethink some of my recipes.
I brought up the pressure cooker to my wife, but she says I have to get rid of something before I can add another piece of equipment
I’ve got four pressure cookers; 20qt, 12 qt, 8 qt and a 2 qt. and I love them all.
I like to do “one pot” meals in them.
I cannot tell the difference in beans cooked 25 minutes in a pressure cooker and the ones simmered for hours in my cast iron dutch oven.
Spaghetti sauce, chili, and other traditionally long simmered foods are the same way. Saves a bunch of time and gas. Plus, it serves as an autoclave if you need to sterilize something like utensils and hop bags for brewing.
And of course, canning. That’s what the 20 qt one was bought for. I can wort for starters for long term storage too.
Tom, but I bet the pressure cooker will do all those other things. better and in a fraction of the time.
Well, maybe the pressure cooker isnt good for making candles, or keeping your balls warm during the party, meat balls that is. But for meats and stews and stuff. Pressure cooker takes it hands down.
And if you like the idea of having a stew prepped in advance it works too. Just put all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and stick it in the frige. When you get home, put it on the sove till it rattles, turn it on low. Dinner will be ready by hte time you get out of the shower.
