# Bean Sorting



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

60+ years ago, in my wee youth.

Whenever Beans were being prepared from a bag or bulk from the bin, I was taught to sort through them to remove all the pebbles, clods, stems, deformed, or other culls from the batch, before soaking them overnight in a salted water solution. 

In another's thread it was mentioned about a bag of 15 soup bean varieties, and rather than deviate the thread further, I decided to start another on Sorting the culls out. 

Does anyone else do this, and is it necessary to do it in the modern days?

ED


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

rocks and other debris is not as common as back in the Days of Yore.
so I just soak overnight then the next day, ladle out the beans and check the bottom of the pot - just in case.
it has been a very long time since I've found a rock or other "stuff"
** Emeril says to use the same soaking water to cook the beans in. (and I do that).


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

John Smith_inFL said:


> rocks and other debris is not as common as back in the Days of Yore.
> so I just soak overnight then the next day, ladle out the beans and check the bottom of the pot - just in case.
> it has been a very long time since I've found a rock or other "stuff"
> ** Emeril says to use the same soaking water to cook the beans in. (and I do that).


 I occasionally find a bean that is deformed, by something , so I just toss it out.

Don't want to cook up a pot with a bug larvae in it. 

You are correct that rocks and debris ae rare now, but you know about old habits.


ED


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## wigginsr181 (Nov 18, 2021)

TV shows just dump the bag in and forget it. My wife has always looked the beans for rocks and the last she found 5 pea size rocks. Try chomping down on one of those. A cherry seed is bad enuff.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

*Traditional 15 BEAN SOUP® | Hurst Beans*
https://hurstbeans.com › Recipes

Cooking _Directions_ · Simply rinse the _beans_ and discard any debris, then place in the pot with 8 cups of water and soak overnight (at least 8 hours). · Drain the ...
2 hr 15 min


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

I've only found a "foreign body" in beans once, a small chunk of dirt that survived cooking. That's in hmm, 40 years. I keep several buckets of pintos each holding 30+ pounds and also numerous bags of navy, black, and garbonzo beans. I don't worry about it.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

wooleybooger said:


> I've only found a "foreign body" in beans once, a small chunk of dirt that survived cooking. That's in hmm, 40 years. I keep several buckets of pintos each holding 30+ pounds and also numerous bags of navy, black, and garbonzo beans. I don't worry about it.


 Then you must have a good supplier of your dry goods.

Here there used to be those self serve bins of sundries in nearly every store, grab a bag, scoop out what you want, tie it off, and label it with #and cost per pound.

About 25 years ago they all disappeared, and I asked where they went.

The same answer everywhere, " there were a group of "chew" users going around and SPITTING in the bins, we had to dump the entire bin too often, at a loss so we discontinued the section".

What kind of lowlife SPITS tobacco SPIT into other people's food?

ED


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

de-nagorg said:


> Then you must have a good supplier of your dry goods.
> 
> Here there used to be those self serve bins of sundries in nearly every store, grab a bag, scoop out what you want, tie it off, and label it with #and cost per pound.
> 
> ...


Store we go to still has those open bins of pinto beans, I never buy from them. I'll buy 25# bags or smaller. Interestingly the 25 # bags cost more per pound than the bin beans and I've seen them loading the bins from the 25 # bags. You gotta watch all stores on their pricing on all items.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

In my former life I supervised a commissary for a Mexican food chain where were cooked a few hundred pounds per week. Every bag was "looked" before it went into the big cooker. Rocks are rare but stuff was removed from every bag.

I rarely cook raw beans now, the canned ones serve my needs, but when I do I look them every time.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

When I said I don't "sort" the beans, I don't. What I do with pintos is I cook 1 pound at a time in a dutch oven big enough to hold that much in a single layer on the bottom. Before adding liquid I'll look them over then add liquid. Any floaters that don't sink when pushed down and any loose skins or other loose matter is then removed. Even doing that I never find more than an occasional loose skin or floater. BTW a 24 oz. mason jar will hold 1 pound of pintos when level full. I know this because I weighted out 1 lb. and poured it into a 24 oz. mason jar. I keep that jar with lid in a bucket with the beans.


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

John Smith_inFL said:


> rocks and other debris is not as common as back in the Days of Yore.
> so I just soak overnight then the next day, ladle out the beans and check the bottom of the pot - just in case.
> it has been a very long time since I've found a rock or other "stuff"
> ** Emeril says to use the same soaking water to cook the beans in. (and I do that).


I might have found one or two small pebbles in my 65 years. I do find beans that are not exactly perfect and I remove them. But its so easy to dump out part of the bag and take a quick look. Its a habit and I do it every time.
I always drain the soak water and rinse a couple times with fresh water before using.
I like Emeril and watched his Emeril Live show every weeknight at 8:00. I don't remember him saying that but I believe you. Do you think it makes any difference? The bag says to soak and rinse. So thats what I do.

Oh...my wife uses the quick soak method. Puts sorted beans in pot with plenty fresh water. Brings to a boil then shuts off the burner. Then they are allowed to sit in the hot water for 1 hour. Rinse and then she proceeds with cooking them. We like big meaty ham hocks in the beans.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

J. V. said:


> I might have found one or two small pebbles in my 65 years. I do find beans that are not exactly perfect and I remove them. But its so easy to dump out part of the bag and take a quick look. Its a habit and I do it every time.
> I always drain the soak water and rinse a couple times with fresh water before using.
> I like Emeril and watched his Emeril Live show every weeknight at 8:00. I don't remember him saying that but I believe you. *Do you think it makes any difference?* The bag says to soak and rinse. So thats what I do.
> 
> Oh...my wife uses the quick soak method. Puts sorted beans in pot with plenty fresh water. Brings to a boil then shuts off the burner. Then they are allowed to sit in the hot water for 1 hour. Rinse and then she proceeds with cooking them. We like big meaty ham hocks in the beans.


I have read the same thing in various cookbooks. Don't throw the soaking water out, use it in the beans or in soup or even as the liquid in bread dough. "They" said there is lots of vitamins etc. in that water.
I don't even soak my dry beans, just add the liquid and start cooking them. Done in the same amount of time used by soaking and then cooking. I do let the beans start getting tender before adding seasonings, salt goes last as it is said salt makes the beans tough. I don't know.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Well, it's a liability thing on the bean package, a kind of disclaimer. I remember when I lived in Hawaii, a nurse co-worker told me that she always checked her rice and threw out the rice water. Since she was Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipina, I bow to her superior experience with rice.

If I remember correctly, food manufacturers are allowed 1-3% foreign bodies.

I have no articles left, but, you might be able to read it.






Food Safety: Getting rid of unwanted foreign materials


More buyers are demanding all products be passed through a metal detector.




www.foodengineeringmag.com


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## wigginsr181 (Nov 18, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> If I remember correctly, food manufacturers are allowed 1-3% foreign bodies.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


_*And now we have another theory of what may have happened to Jimmy Hoffa. Maybe the little ground up pieces didn't go to a Florida swamp*_.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

If you worry about what is in the food, take a tour of a sausage plant.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

I think you meant _don't_ take a tour of a sausage plant!


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

huesmann said:


> I think you meant _don't_ take a tour of a sausage plant!


I had a pork processor that was a client of mine. Carolina Pride. They brought live animals in and sent out bacon, ham and other smoked processed meat on the other end. 
The entrance I used was the shop and any dead animals were piled up high by the door. In the summer especially it was terrible. And when I had to venture into the plant it was bad. But good customer.
My biggest issue was to eat lunch first or after. I usually took a couple guys out to lunch it was kinda expected.
I had a chicken processor as well. I was amazed watching the plant workers eating Kentucky fried chicken. I cannot eat or buy either manufacturers product. However I do buy and eat other brands of pork and chicken.


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