Soaking is not enough: another basic cooking question

[cjsmith]

I've heard of two ways to break down the oligosaccharides (*toot*!) in beans and legumes.

- Soak overnight, then drain and rinse thoroughly
- Boil for a while, then drain and rinse thoroughly

The recipe I made yesterday actually called for BOTH of these. I did them both. They were not enough.

I am willing to believe I simply don't know what I'm doing, but I also know that there are certain explanations I am no longer going to accept because I've tried them and they don't work. Never in my forty years have I succeeded in eating beans or legumes without trouble. Anyone who says that I'll "get used to" (as in: no longer produce gas after eating) certain things is just plain wrong. Anyone who says that soaking or pre-boiling is sufficient is also just plain wrong.

I realize that I may be somewhat unusual. I have a coworker who can't eat certain kinds of beans at all, as her inability to digest certain compounds will send her to the hospital. I might simply be someone who will always have trouble with this stuff.

What else do I need to do? Is there a big step I'm missing here? Or should I, as I have on several previous occasions been close to deciding, simply give up on this kind of food?

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh my. I need Beano and Milko and Oniono and... :-)

I've wondered whether I might be lactose-deficient, because I've been plagued after having cereal with milk. But I don't have any trouble with cheese at all. Maybe, for me, that one is dependent on the amount.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Also might depend on the type of cheese in question (as I learned from my recent midwife visit). If you're sensitive to lactose, aged/hard cheeses have less of that than soft cheeses. Eating full-fat versions of dairy products reduces the lactose content, so it's either ingest the sugar or ingest the fat. Take your pick. Heh.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Good point. I'm usually eating more-aged cheeses like Swiss. The softest I ever usually go is brie, and that's so full of fat it might as well be shortening. ;-) (ok, I'm exaggerating!)