That salt and starch content is why you should rinse and drain canned beans before using them in your recipes. The salt and starch can change the characteristics and texture of the dish, especially if you are making a casserole, and will increase your sodium intake.
Yes, it helps keep the beans preserved for long shelf life, but the liquid is mostly starch and salt which may impact the texture or flavor of a finished dish.
While rinsing and draining beans is not necessary, there are a few reasons people choose to do so. Depending on the type of bean you are using, the coloration of the bean liquid may cause a coloration change you don't want for your dish.
So the starchy liquid that lives in the can? That's your bean broth. Use that broth to thicken soups, help dips hang together—all the ways you'd use the broth with beans you cooked yourself. So stop throwing it away!
The outlet concurs that the simple act of rinsing your canned beans before using them will cut down on that excess salt. The starch in the canned bean solution has its own implications in your cooking. It can alter the texture, composition, and liquid ratios of the recipe you are creating.
The practices of both draining and draining/rinsing canned beans can effectively reduce the amount of sodium from that contained in the product as purchased. All brands and all varieties of canned beans tested demonstrated reductions in sodium content per serving after draining and draining and rinsing.
But most people can enjoy more beans with less gas with the help of these tips: Soak beans overnight in water, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. This decreases the oligosaccharide content.
Turns out bean goo is less terrifying than you might think: In most cases, it's just water and salt, along with starches naturally produced by the beans. Goya Foods, for example, cans its beans with salt and water to create a brine, which keeps them tasting fresh (in other words, the salt is a preservative).
Canned beans are already cooked. They cost a little more than dried beans, but are still a great buy because they are fast and convenient. Just remember to rinse them first to wash away some of the sodium (salt) or buy canned beans with no added salt.
One note: The liquid in all canned beans is a mixture of water, salt, and the starch released from the beans themselves. The salt acts as a preservative to keep the beans tasting fresh, which means the liquid is generally very, very salty. This isn't to say you can't use it.
Finally, soaking beans helps them to cook up in about half the time. So after the beans have soaked for a while, the soaking water now contains these elements that you are trying to eliminate by soaking the beans in the first place. And this is why the bean water is discarded.
Soaking Beans Benefits
Many people prefer soaking beans, especially with the hot soak method, because it makes the beans more tender after they are cooked. Others soak their beans to make the beans easier to digest and to prevent gas.
Draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce their sodium content by more than 40%. But taking just a few extra minutes is key to getting the most benefit.
According to Serious Eats, undercooked beans maintain their firm texture while overcooked beans are too mushy. So with fully cooked beans, you're looking for the sweet spot in the middle, as beans should be plump, but mash easily when you press them with a fork, per Mayo Clinic.
It may be confusing to you and others since some dried beans, like kidney and cannellini beans, are not safe to eat raw and must be cooked before consuming. They contain high amounts of the toxin phytohaemagglutinin. According to the FDA, boiling dried beans in water for at least 10 minutes breaks down this toxin.
"Saponins are a group of naturally occurring plant compounds found in beans and other plant foods, like quinoa and spinach, that can produce foam when they're dissolved in water or other liquid," explained Newgent.
If you are using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them with water to cut the sodium (salt) content by almost a half. Rinse well in cold water to make them easier to digest and less gas-producing.
Soaking overnight and then discarding the soaking water leaches out sugars in beans that are responsible for gas production. But if you don't have time for a traditional overnight soak, a quick soak is just as beneficial. Rinse the beans and then place them in a pot with three cups of water for each cup of dried beans.
To cut down on the gassy properties, you can add a little baking soda to your recipe. The baking soda helps break down some of the beans' natural gas-making sugars. I tested this while fixing one of my favorite slow cooker recipes: red beans and sausage.
Draining and rinsing of canned vegetables can reduce the sodium content from 9 23%. Analytical values for the three vegetables tested were lower than that declared on the label. Of all the nutrients tested, vitamin C decreased from 5-28% with draining and rinsing.
Rinsing beans after they are drained ensures that all residual sodium adhering to the bean's surface is removed and results in the highest reduction. All brands and all classes of beans tested demonstrated significant reductions in sodium by either draining or draining and rinsing.