I boil a kettle of water and pour it over mine. It helps them cook better to presoak this way for about an hour or hour and a half. Pour the water off after they have soaked and cook. I have read that presoaking helps to prevent the hated bloating and gas that comes from them.

If they are dry beans, then yes I would soak them overnight first. You can also do what is called a “fast soak” by bringing the beans to a boil in a regular pot. Shut off the heat and cover for one hour. Then, you can put them in your crock pot recipe. I don’t think a crock pot will cook/simmer strongly enough to cook the beans otherwise.

there are people who will tell you “yes” and those who will tell you “no”, its a personal thing. It will certainly cut the time needed to cook the beans. But, other than that, there is no scientific proof of any benefit of soaking beans.

If you want to soak the beans and are running short on time and or dont want to do it over night. Bring a pot of beans, covered in water to a roiling boil. then turn off the heat. cover and let sit for an hour. Then drain and add the beans to the crockpot.

If you dont want to soak them, you need to be aware that the beans will soak up a lot of liquid and it may be necessary to check the liquid level in the pot to avoid scorching and burning.

I never have. I of course sorted and cleaned them(by rinsing) but then put them right into the crockpot. They take longer to cook if you dont soak them but trust the flavor is unbelievable and the “soup” is so much darker and richer in flavor. You lose all that when you soak them. Try it without soaking and you will never go back!!

No you don’t, but you have to add more water to the crock pot, as the dry beans will soak up at least 2 cups of water.

The advantages of soaking is that it speeds up cooking and decreases the amount of water needed for cooking…. but since you’re using a crock pot (long cookin times) all you need to do is add more water.

Check out why and how.

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