I found a recipe in the local newspaper to make refried beans. It said to soak them for 36 to 48 hours, draining and using fresh hot water several times. After the time frame, the beans were so slimy and nasty smelling, I just threw them away. The slime was so thick that I could hardly get them rinsed. What did I do wrong, or is this way they are supposed to be? If so it was disgusting. This was my first time, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for any help you can give.
Are refried beans supposed to be slithe and nasty smelling
beansfood-safetysoaking
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Best Answer
Soaking beans is a normal practice. While 36 to 48 hours is unusually long, they normally shouldn't spoil in this time.
Assuming that your beans did indeed spoil, there are different explanations possible.
If the beans were really spoiled, but you didn't do any of the things above, it is very probable that it was a fluke. Try again, and you can reduce the soaking time. 12 to 24 hours is normal for beans.
It is also possible that your beans weren't spoiled. When beans are soaked, they can produce both slime and froth. This is a perfectly normal chemical reaction caused by complex molecules found in the beans, and it is not a sign of spoilage. A really strong stink will indeed mean that they were spoiled. But if you are not accustomed to soaking beans, maybe you assumed that something is wrong when you saw the slime, sniffed the beans and noticed their normal smell. It is faint, and to my nose it isn't offensive, but it is different from the smell of cooked beans, so maybe you associated it with "not normal" and therefore classified it as "nasty". I can't tell if that happened or not as I can't smell your beans, but if it happened, don't worry. There are lots of things in the kitchen which seem strange the first time. As for throwing out rotten-smelling food, I'd say better safe than sorry.