Many pulses need to be cooked alone in pure boiling water.
raw kidney beans chickpeas and some lentils come to mind.
Do you have a reference for "pure"?
What I meant was DO NOT ADD SALT. Or anything that will lower the
boiling point. Not till the bloody things are cooked.
On 16/02/2026 21:36, Andy Burns wrote:
alan_m wrote:
As a side issue, TV adverts for steam mops and steam cleaners for
kitchens/bathrooms. show them being wafted around quickly with
claims of killing germs, bacteria etc. I remember seeing the (very)
small print at the bottom of the screen stating the claims were only
valid if the steam was applied to the same area for 60 seconds or
more.
A few years ago, my mum bought herself a new steam mop, and gave me
the old one as a hand-me-down, I later inherited the new one too.
They are both bloody useless for cleaning a bathroom or kitchen ...
Much like a lot of wonder products advertised on TV but then disappear
from sale a couple months afterwards :)
I purchased one of those spray mops with the large microfibre cleaning cloth/pad. It seemed to work until I used it on a very light coloured cushion floor. First time with new pad it successfully picked up minor surface dirt. It was only used for a minute. Second use with the same
pad and I noticed that the pad was dropping the dirt in a line at the
end of each stroke. A few more uses with replacement pads and I came to
the conclusion that the microfibre pads can only pick up a small amount
of surface dirt and once this small threshold is reached it deposits it
back on the floor, but as a very thin line every time the pad comes to a stop and reverses direction. On a darker floor this probably wouldn't be noticed.
On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:46:52 +0000, Max Demian wrote:
On 16/02/2026 18:20, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 16/02/2026 15:07, Indy Jess John wrote:
In a Victorian recipe it describes red kidney beans as poisonous
unless cooked properly.-a The cooking advice is "boil furiously for at >>>> least 10 minutes".-a A more modern recipe says always use tinned red
kidney beans because they have had all the poison cooked out.
The first time I made chilli con carne I didn't know you had to keep
the kidney beans on a rolling boil for at least 25 minutes, and, shall
we say, had a very uncomfortable night. I nearly blamed the local
butcher (who was very good indeed) for selling dodgy mince!
I've never had that problem with chilli con carne. Surely it's just a
matter of the temperature? A gentle, slowly bubbling simmer must be at
(or very near) 100 C; I would simmer it for about an hour to cook the
mince. And I've never suffered food poisoning as a result.
You probably use tinned beans, as I and most other people do. No problem
with them. The disaster ensues if you cook them from raw; the beans
contain ricin, a vegetable (not bacterial) poison that is only destroyed
by long boiling.
On 16/02/2026 12:43, GB wrote:
On 16/02/2026 09:31, wasbit wrote:Really?
I have had to point out to one supermarket manager that the complete
stock of coleslaw had the previous days date. We then had to go to a
different supermarket to purchase some.
How long does it take to slice up a cabbage? Surely, that's easier
than traipsing off to another supermarket.
First you have to buy the cabbage which is large & heavy (compared to a
tub of coleslaw).
Then you have to buy the other ingredients - more expense.
Then there is the preparation time.
Then you have to find a way to use all the excess expensive ingredients.
The traipse is approx 200 yards & although driving, is on the route home.
No thanks.
On 17/02/2026 08:27, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 16/02/2026 22:34, alan_m wrote:
Much like a lot of wonder products advertised on TV but then
disappear from sale a couple months afterwards EfOe
I have concluded that an air fryer is exactly that
I will be chucking my SH one in a skip when I get a Round Tuit.
My air fryer is used most days but I never believed the hype that you
can cook a whole meal. I will use it to cook thin cuts of meat (no more
than a few inches thick), burgers, sausages, a couple of medium size
baked potatoes, wet fish in foil with butter etc. I still cook
vegetables in a pan of boiling water or from frozen in the microwave. Anything like a full chicken or joint of meat, even a small one, will be cooked in the oven and not the air fryer. In the air fryer anything
close to the element will burn.
Snip <--
In article <10n206v$1r5gf$4@dont-email.me>,
The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
Many pulses need to be cooked alone in pure boiling water.
raw kidney beans chickpeas and some lentils come to mind.
Do you have a reference for "pure"?
What I meant was DO NOT ADD SALT. Or anything that will lower the
boiling point. Not till the bloody things are cooked.
Adding salt *raises* the boiling point, though only negligibly for
a plausible amount of salt. The effect of the weather is greater.
High altitudes might actually have a significant effect. It's probably impossible to destroy the toxins by boiling at above 6000m.
-- Richard
On 16/02/2026 12:43, GB wrote:
On 16/02/2026 09:31, wasbit wrote:Really?
I have had to point out to one supermarket manager that the complete
stock of coleslaw had the previous days date. We then had to go to a
different supermarket to purchase some.
How long does it take to slice up a cabbage? Surely, that's easier
than traipsing off to another supermarket.
First you have to buy the cabbage which is large & heavy (compared to a
tub of coleslaw).
Then you have to buy the other ingredients - more expense.
Then there is the preparation time.
Then you have to find a way to use all the excess expensive ingredients.
The traipse is approx 200 yards & although driving, is on the route home.
No thanks.
On 17/02/2026 12:22, Handsome Jack wrote:
On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:46:52 +0000, Max Demian wrote:
On 16/02/2026 18:20, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 16/02/2026 15:07, Indy Jess John wrote:
In a Victorian recipe it describes red kidney beans as poisonous
unless cooked properly.-a The cooking advice is "boil furiously for at >>>>> least 10 minutes".-a A more modern recipe says always use tinned red >>>>> kidney beans because they have had all the poison cooked out.
The first time I made chilli con carne I didn't know you had to keep
the kidney beans on a rolling boil for at least 25 minutes, and, shall >>>> we say, had a very uncomfortable night. I nearly blamed the local
butcher (who was very good indeed) for selling dodgy mince!
I've never had that problem with chilli con carne. Surely it's just a
matter of the temperature? A gentle, slowly bubbling simmer must be at
(or very near) 100 C; I would simmer it for about an hour to cook the
mince. And I've never suffered food poisoning as a result.
You probably use tinned beans, as I and most other people do. No problem
with them. The disaster ensues if you cook them from raw; the beans
contain ricin, a vegetable (not bacterial) poison that is only destroyed
by long boiling.
Of course I mean dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight. The
instructions advise fast boiling for 10 minutes, then simmering for 40 minutes or so. I find simmering for an hour or so sufficient, without
the initial boiling. Surely it's purely a matter of temperature.
On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:46:52 +0000, Max Demian wrote:
On 16/02/2026 18:20, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 16/02/2026 15:07, Indy Jess John wrote:
In a Victorian recipe it describes red kidney beans as poisonous
unless cooked properly.-a The cooking advice is "boil furiously for at >>>> least 10 minutes".-a A more modern recipe says always use tinned red
kidney beans because they have had all the poison cooked out.
The first time I made chilli con carne I didn't know you had to keep
the kidney beans on a rolling boil for at least 25 minutes, and, shall
we say, had a very uncomfortable night. I nearly blamed the local
butcher (who was very good indeed) for selling dodgy mince!
I've never had that problem with chilli con carne. Surely it's just a
matter of the temperature? A gentle, slowly bubbling simmer must be at
(or very near) 100 C; I would simmer it for about an hour to cook the
mince. And I've never suffered food poisoning as a result.
You probably use tinned beans, as I and most other people do. No problem
with them. The disaster ensues if you cook them from raw; the beans
contain ricin, a vegetable (not bacterial) poison that is only destroyed
by long boiling.
"That's Life" did a feature on it in the 1980s, before ricin became--
famous :)
I think it's a temperature-time thing, with a minimum temperature at the start required to ensure the temp inside the bean gets to 100-#C quickly, and then is kept there on a rolling boil so it remains at 100-#C.
Simmering is ok, but I would be concerned that if not checked it could
fall to 80 - 85-#C. According to <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean#Toxicity> "cooking at the
lower temperature of 80 -#C (176 -#F), such as in a slow cooker, is insufficient to denature the toxin and has been reported to cause food poisoning".
On 17/02/2026 18:08, Max Demian wrote:
On 17/02/2026 12:22, Handsome Jack wrote:
On Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:46:52 +0000, Max Demian wrote:
On 16/02/2026 18:20, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 16/02/2026 15:07, Indy Jess John wrote:
In a Victorian recipe it describes red kidney beans as poisonous
unless cooked properly.-a The cooking advice is "boil furiously for at >>>>>> least 10 minutes".-a A more modern recipe says always use tinned red >>>>>> kidney beans because they have had all the poison cooked out.
The first time I made chilli con carne I didn't know you had to keep >>>>> the kidney beans on a rolling boil for at least 25 minutes, and, shall >>>>> we say, had a very uncomfortable night. I nearly blamed the local
butcher (who was very good indeed) for selling dodgy mince!
I've never had that problem with chilli con carne. Surely it's just a
matter of the temperature? A gentle, slowly bubbling simmer must be at >>>> (or very near) 100 C; I would simmer it for about an hour to cook the
mince. And I've never suffered food poisoning as a result.
You probably use tinned beans, as I and most other people do. No problem >>> with them. The disaster ensues if you cook them from raw; the beans
contain ricin, a vegetable (not bacterial) poison that is only destroyed >>> by long boiling.
Of course I mean dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight. The
instructions advise fast boiling for 10 minutes, then simmering for 40
minutes or so. I find simmering for an hour or so sufficient, without
the initial boiling. Surely it's purely a matter of temperature.
I think it's a temperature-time thing, with a minimum temperature at the start required to ensure the temp inside the bean gets to 100-#C quickly, and then is kept there on a rolling boil so it remains at 100-#C.
Simmering is ok, but I would be concerned that if not checked it could
fall to 80 - 85-#C. According to <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Kidney_bean#Toxicity> "cooking at the lower temperature of 80 -#C (176
-#F), such as in a slow cooker, is insufficient to denature the toxin and has been reported to cause food poisoning".
"That's Life" did a feature on it in the 1980s, before ricin became
famous :)
On 18/02/2026 13:44, Jeff Layman wrote:
I think it's a temperature-time thing, with a minimum temperature at the
start required to ensure the temp inside the bean gets to 100-#C quickly,
and then is kept there on a rolling boil so it remains at 100-#C.
Simmering is ok, but I would be concerned that if not checked it could
fall to 80 - 85-#C. According to
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean#Toxicity> "cooking at the
lower temperature of 80 -#C (176 -#F), such as in a slow cooker, is
insufficient to denature the toxin and has been reported to cause food
poisoning".
Sadly there is no evidence that a rolling boil is hotter than a simmer.
But the extra turbulence does help in some cases.
On 18/02/2026 14:43, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 18/02/2026 13:44, Jeff Layman wrote:
I think it's a temperature-time thing, with a minimum temperature at the >>> start required to ensure the temp inside the bean gets to 100-#C quickly, >>> and then is kept there on a rolling boil so it remains at 100-#C.
Simmering is ok, but I would be concerned that if not checked it could
fall to 80 - 85-#C. According to
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean#Toxicity> "cooking at the
lower temperature of 80 -#C (176 -#F), such as in a slow cooker, is
insufficient to denature the toxin and has been reported to cause food
poisoning".
Sadly there is no evidence that a rolling boil is hotter than a simmer.
At <https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3949/pasta-is-simmering-equivalent-to-roiling-boil> there is a comment that "Simmering is not the same as boiling. Boiling water is 212 rae (100 raa). Simmering water is in the range of 185 rae to 200 rae (85 raa to 93 raa)." It might, however, be debunked later in that thread.
And <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/simmer-vs-boil-compared> says simmering is usually between 195 and 211rae!
But the extra turbulence does help in some cases.
Indeed. The turbulence will even out the high temperature across the
whole saucepan. With a simmer you risk leaving some areas cooler than others. It could especially be true with beans which seem to be pretty
dense and lay in one place when they've settled.
Gosh . How did those Peruvian Indians survive?
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