My $2 bag of dried beans turned into a kitchen disaster Sunday night

I soaked a pound of pintos for 8 hours, then cooked them for 3 hours. They came out crunchy still. Turns out I had hard water buildup in my instant pot and it never got hot enough. Wasted the whole batch. Has anyone else had their cheap beans ruined by water quality?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_linda1mo ago

Crunchy beans after 3 hours? Gotta say that sounds more like old beans than water quality to me. Hard water might slow things down a little but not keep them that tough.

taraanderson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Different altitudes affect boiling points and bean softening too. Might be worth checking your elevation if you're in a mountain town or something.

the_brian25d ago

Wait, so @taraanderson is saying my mountain town beans need their own weather report now? Guess I gotta check boiling points before I even think about soaking. Though honestly, if my beans are still crunchy after 3 hours, maybe they just decided to become eternal relics instead of dinner. Hard water, old beans, altitude conspiracies - maybe I should just microwave them and call it a win.