From chili to rice and beans, kidney beans are a common component in many meals. But if improperly cooked, these beans include a naturally occurring poison known as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), which can cause major stomach problems.
Cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker at low heat below 100°C can actually raise PHA content and cause food poisoning. This in-depth post will discuss Why You Should Never Cook Kidney Beans in a Slow Cooker, the science behind PHA, and suggest safe cooking techniques to guarantee your meals are both great and safe.
Why You Should Never Cook Kidney Beans in a Slow Cooker?
Though it is most prevalent in red kidney beans, phytohaemagglutinin is a lectin protein found in many kinds of beans. Raw or undercooked PHA can produce symptoms of food poisoning including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Severe cases could result in hospitalization.
The poison binds to the digestive tract’s lining and meddles with nutrient absorption. If it develops in the body, it can also cause red blood cells to cluster together, which can be lethal. The FDA claims that serious PHA poisoning can result from as few four or five uncooked or undercooked kidney beans.
PHA Concentration andslow Cookers
Although slow cookers are a handy approach to make meals, kidney beans are not suited for them. Usually running between 70 to 90°C, these appliances are not hot enough to eliminate the PHA poison.Actually, slow cooking can boost PHA concentration in the beans. The poison is expelled into the liquid while the beans cook, then concentrates when the liquid evaporates. This can cause a far larger PHA dosage to be taken, therefore maybe causing extreme disease.
How to Cook Kidney Beans
Kidney beans must be properly cooked if one wants to eat them safely. The FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Authority, advises the following actions:
Sort and rinse the beans to eliminate any damaged or trash-containing ones.
Soak the beans in water for at least five hours—or overnight. This lowers PHA content as well.
Rine and drain the soaked beans.
Fresh water cover the beans; bring to a boil. Boil for at least half-hour. Since this eliminates the PHA poison, it is the most crucial stage.
To finish the meal, boil the beans then add them to a slow cooker or another cooking technique.
Not enough to make the beans safe to eat is just soaking them. To eliminate the PHA toxin, the beans must simmer for at least half-hour.
Cooking under pressure
Pressure cooking is a further safe cooking technique for kidney beans. British researchers determined that kidney beans cooked in a pressure cooker at 15 psi for 45 minutes—without pre-soaking—were safe to eat. More rapidly than boiling, pressure cooking eliminates the PHA toxin by exposing the beans to high heat and pressure. For your particular pressure cooker, though, it’s still advisable to follow manufacturer directions since cooking times differ.
Symptoms and Treatment of PHA Poisoning
See a doctor right away if you or someone you know believe you or someone has eaten undercooked kidney beans. Usually showing one to three hours after administration, PHA poisoning symptoms include:
Not feeling good
Pertussiveness
Colitis
stomach trouble
Most times, the symptoms go away on their own in a few hours. Severe instances may, however, call for hospitalization to treat dehydration and track for consequences.Usually, supportive treatment for PHA poisoning consists in IV fluids to avoid dehydration. Sometimes the poison may be helped to be absorbed and its effects lessened by activated charcoal.
See also: Why You Should Never Cook Bacon in Your Air Fryer
How long to cook canned kidney beans in slow cooker?
Simply adding canned kidney beans straight to the other ingredients and cooking for 2–4 hours on high or 4–8 hours on low will help you to heat the meal thoroughly.
Before adding to the slow cooker, canned kidney beans—which are already fully cooked—do not need to be boiled or soaked.
Simply rinse the canned beans and toss them straight into the slow cooker with the remaining components.
Since canned beans merely need to be cooked through, they can be added either toward the end or at the start of the slow cooking procedure. Including them in the end helps stop them from becoming mushy and overdone.
I ate undercooked kidney beans
Because of a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), eating undercooked kidney beans can be hazardous. High amounts of this toxin found in undercooked kidney beans can induce extreme food poisoning symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach discomfort one to three hours of consumption.
Your risk will be affected, though, by the quantity of beans you consumed and the degree of undercooking involved. With the dosage, ingesting 4–5 raw or badly cooked kidney beans can cause disease. You mentioned eating roughly twenty beans, hence you might have some uncomfortable stomach problems but it is not likely to be fatal.
Stay hydrated, rest, and avoid eating anything that can aggravate your stomach to help you to be comfortable. Should symptoms be severe or recurring, see a doctor. To eliminate the PHA toxin, always soak kidney beans for at least five hours then boil them at 212°F (100°C) for at least ten minutes before consuming. Slow cookers might not get high enough temperature to completely eradicate the poison.
The Importance of Proper Preparation
Kidney beans are a nutritious and versatile ingredient, but knowing why you should never cook kidney beans in a slow cooker must be understood to avoid the dangers of PHA toxicity.
Cooking kidney beans in a slow cooker is not advised since the low temperatures may really raise the toxic levels.
Before adding kidney beans to other meals, always sort, soak, and boil them for at least thirty minutes to ensure they are safe. Another safe choice is pressure cooking; however, it’s crucial to follow manufacturer directions. These easy rules will help you to keep your family safe from foodborne disease and enjoy the several health advantages of kidney beans. Regarding possibly harmful food contaminants, remember it’s best to be cautious than sorry.
