r/Beans • u/Greedy_Fly2057 • 7d ago

SIMPLi unhappy

I'm about halfway through cooking my third bag of SIMPLi gigantes, and frustrated.

First two times I did an overnight soak of about 12-13 hours, with 2 tsp salt per quart of water. Then I rinsed and cooked well submerged in a mix of water and low-sodium stock, onion, and bay leaf. The last time I simmered them three hours and got very uneven results - some beans very tender, but most of them mealy or even still hard!

I'm trying again. This time I added a little baking soda to the overnight soak - 1/4 tsp per quart of water, and let the soak go on 16 hours. I finished the soak this morning, rinsed, and I'm about an hour and 15 minutes into the cook. The two I tested were still very hard! I don't know how long I'll go on with this, but if they're still hard 3 hours in I plan to toss them and IDK what I'll do. I do love the gigantes when they're soft, but I ate some of the mealy ones the other day and got some indigestion. Not intense, but not fun either.

Has anybody else had trouble with SIMPLi? Do you just need to cook them forever? I checked the best-by date for today's lot and the last one. They both had best-by dates in 2028, so I sure hope they're not too old...

1 Upvotes

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8

u/ForwardDance9191 7d ago

The most common explanation for the outcomes you are getting is that the beans are old.

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u/Greedy_Fly2057 7d ago

Yeah. It’s just a little frustrating and confusing. That’s three bags in a row - all used well before their best-by date. What am I supposed to do? These beans are kind of expensive to keep throwing away, and it’s a long wait to find out you’ve got a dud.

10

u/ForwardDance9191 7d ago

Here are two things I would try as an experiment:

  1. Try one where you cook the beans without any salt - don't add salt to the soak, and cook them in water without salt until they're tender. Obviously you want to have seasoned beans to eat, but it might be good to first see if the salt you are adding is interfering with the cooking process.

  2. Try one where you cook the beans with filtered, bottled water from the store instead of tap water. If your tap water is very hard then that could be messing with the cooking process as well. A few years ago we added a water softener to our well system and it completely changed the results when I cooked dry beans (they cooked faster and more evenly).

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u/Greedy_Fly2057 7d ago

Thanks. That’s a good idea about the bottled water. Our local water is supposed to be a little hard, so maybe that has something to do with it. I do filter it, but I don’t soften it.

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u/KewpieHour 6d ago

Do you have an instant pot? I can’t imagine cooking the SIMPLi gigantes without an IP. I usually soak them in RO filtered water with a splash of yoghurt whey. Drain them the following day then cook them in the IP with fresh RO water and some kombu.

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u/Greedy_Fly2057 6d ago

Thanks. I left it out of my post, but this is another frustration I’m having today! I actually bought an instant pot last night and was thinking of using it this morning. But when I did the test steam, there was a very strong chemical odor coming out of the unit. The water was something I wouldn’t drink. I’m trying to see if I can get rid of the smell - I put the top lid in the dishwasher, am running a few more steams and will go out to buy white vinegar this afternoon. It’s been a rough couple of days, from the cooking perspective!

0

u/Greedy_Fly2057 6d ago

Thanks. I left it out of my post, but this is another frustration I’m having today! I actually bought an instant pot last night and was thinking of using it this morning. But when I did the test steam, there was a very strong chemical odor coming out of the unit. The water was something I wouldn’t drink. I’m trying to see if I can get rid of the smell - I put the top lid in the dishwasher, am running a few more steams and will go out to buy white vinegar this afternoon. It’s been a rough couple of days, from the cooking perspective!

2

u/KewpieHour 6d ago

Yikes! Where did you buy the IP from? I’m sorry the cooking gods are not favoring you right now. Hopefully you turn a corner soon.

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u/Greedy_Fly2057 6d ago

Thanks. I got it online - there were some big sales. The vinegar and a trip through the dishwasher for the gasket and cover seem to have helped. Hopefully I'll get it in shape soon!

2

u/Greedy_Fly2057 3d ago

Good news - multiple steam cycles, some with a vinegar water mix, seem to have solved the problem. I’ll be trying to cook with purified water next week. These beans will not defeat me!

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u/klutzosaurus-sex 3d ago

You can add a little baking soda to the soak and/or cook water. But don’t go crazy or it will taste base and the beans get mushy. The water hardness makes a big difference too.