If You're Not Eating These 7 Foods . . . You Should Be!

[Maurya]

For beans, I soak them overnight, throw out the soaking water, put them with new water directly into the bean pot, and bake for many, many hours, always with several pieces of kombu seaweed. This seems to tenderize the baked beans. Part of the way through the baking, carrots (for sweetness), turnips, previously sauteed onions, and any other handy vegetable goes into the pot to continue to bake in the oven. The pot must be opened occasionally, to check for moisture, adding more water if necessary. Salt is not to be added until very close to the end of cooking.

So, as you can imagine, no baked beans until autumn and winter arrive here. Fresh tomatoes from the garden for now!

[DizzyIzzy]

To activate the good enzymes, make them more digestible, and help reduce the phytate content. It can also help get rid of any contaminants like aflatoxin, theoretically, particularly if you add some kind of natural anti-aflatoxin agent too - though I don't tend to bother, particularly as peanuts are the worst for that and I don't eat peanuts.

This explains it: http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html

Most of them keep their nice crunchy texture, they're just sort of... nicer. I think anyway. I'll still eat them raw if I can't soak them first (like if I'm needing a snack at uni and pop over to the wholefood store for some or something), but for the most part I have them soaking overnight. Almonds are particularly good soaked.

The trick is not to soak them too long, and to make sure you dry them off before you eat them.

It also makes them easier to blend if you're going to use them for recipes.

[Islander]

The nuts I eat most often are a tablespoon or so of walnuts or sunflower seeds or pignolias in oatmeal or salads. I can't imagine trying to soak quantities that small, especially as I usually decide to add them on the spur of the moment.

Reesacat, I have kept bacon in the freezer for over a year. In fact, I often thaw it, cut it into smaller quantities, and then re-freeze it. (I'm talking about a deep freeze, not a freezer section that defrosts itself periodically; storage time in those is very limited). Your bacon fat should be fine. The very worst that can happen is it will begin to get that stale freezer taste.

[mellowsong]

Originally Posted by Islander

Why soak nuts, please? I mean, half the appeal is the crunchy texture!

I left part of it out, lol. You soak nuts in salt water, then roast or dehydrate to get the crunch back. There are anti nutrients which are decreased by soaking. Somewhere on here, there is an article called "The Whole Grain Scam". In that article I explained soaking. Also soaking greatly increases digestibility. I need to not post late at night

[EmmaPeel]

Originally Posted by Islander

The nuts I eat most often are a tablespoon or so of walnuts or sunflower seeds or pignolias in oatmeal or salads. I can't imagine trying to soak quantities that small, especially as I usually decide to add them on the spur of the moment.

Reesacat, I have kept bacon in the freezer for over a year. In fact, I often thaw it, cut it into smaller quantities, and then re-freeze it. (I'm talking about a deep freeze, not a freezer section that defrosts itself periodically; storage time in those is very limited). Your bacon fat should be fine. The very worst that can happen is it will begin to get that stale freezer taste.

Thanks for answering my question, Islander. It was I who asked about the frozen bacon.

[Islander]

Originally Posted by EmmaPeel

Thanks for answering my question, Islander. It was I who asked about the frozen bacon.

I see I should not post un-caffeinated.