Lima beans are most commonly purchased in their dried form. This makes soaking before cooking necessary. Unfortunately, while this soaking process is crucial, lima beans often split while soaking.
This article will explore why lima beans split during soaking and how you can prevent them from splitting.
What are Lima Beans?
The lima bean is a legume grown for its delicious and nutritious seeds, which are found inside the beans. The lima bean has a flat pod that contains oblong-shaped beans, which are slightly curved at the edges.
These beans are similar in shape to kidney beans. The pods are usually around 3 inches in length. Each pod contains 2-5 seeds. The lima bean is also known as the butter bean, double bean, sieva bean, wax bean, Madagascar bean, or chad bean.
Lima beans are commonly referred to as butter beans since they have a starchy, buttery texture. In addition, they have a mild, delicate flavor that can easily be overpowered.
Fresh lima beans are pretty difficult to source. They are generally only available in dried form. However, it is worth searching for fresh lima beans in summer and fall, when they are in season. This will immediately do away with split beans as it is usually only the dried ones that split.
Dried lima beans are easy to dry and store, making them readily available throughout the year. You can also purchase lima beans in canned form throughout the year.
Why Lima Beans Split While Soaking
The main reason why your lima beans split while they are soaking is the rehydrating process. When the seed coat of the lima beans is not adequately softened, the rehydration of the inside of the bean causes the bean to split open when the exterior does not expand.
Calcium and magnesium ions play an essential role in the softening process. These ions are found in the lima beans’ skin. They give the bean structure. Sodium ions found in water replace the calcium and magnesium ions in the lima bean skin during the soaking process.
When the lima bean loses most of the calcium and magnesium ions in its skin, it softens. Therefore, soaking beans in water rich in sodium ions can prevent them from splitting while soaking.
Beans that have softened are less likely to split or explode during cooking. Additionally, these beans become creamy and absorb flavor readily. This makes seasoning the beans much more effortless and prevents them from being bland.
4 Easy Ways to Prevent Splitting
There are 4 easy ways to prevent your lima beans from splitting during the cooking process.
1. You must make sure that your beans have been soaked before you attempt to cook them. You can let your beans soak overnight, just like your grandmother used to! This will ensure that the seed coat rehydrates.
2. Add lots of salt to the water you will soak your lima beans in. The salt will ensure plenty of sodium ions in the water to replace the calcium and magnesium ions in the lima beans. In addition, this will soften the bean skin and prevent it from splitting.
3. Cook the beans on very low heat so that they are barely simmering. Try not to stir the beans. Stirring the beans can damage the delicate bean skin and cause the bean to split.
4. The easiest and most effective way to prevent your lima beans from splitting is to cook them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit instead of cooking them in water on the stovetop.
Conclusion
We hope that this article will help you to soak and cook your lima beans without them splitting. Leave a picture of the dish you made with your unsplit lima beans below, along with your favorite recipe for lima beans.