I have been trying to follow a lower fat diet for some months, but it
seems that to expand my menu repertoire I need to try making more use of  
beans.  I have been collecting intresting-looking bean recipes, but, to
date, I have been deterred by three things - unfamiliarity, laziness,
and the need to reduce sodium intake.  Canned beans, according to my
various reference books, are exceedingly high in sodium, even for canned
goods.  Of course the obvious way around this is to use fresh beans, and
soak them.  This is where I run up against my laziness and lack of planning.

I have read suggestions that you can remove sodium by rinsing canned
beans.  Does anyone have any hard information on how effective this is?
Does it remove a significant proportion of the sodium, or has the sodium
soaked into the beans too much?

An alternative solution would be to soak a large quantity and keep them on
hand.  Should they be soaked in the fridge or at room temperature?  How
long do they keep, once soaked?  I would assume that there would be no
problem in freezing them in small quantities -- but any advice/problems
you have encountered would be aprreciated.
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: I have been trying to follow a lower fat diet for some months, but it
: seems that to expand my menu repertoire I need to try making more use of  
: beans.  I have been collecting intresting-looking bean recipes, but, to
: date, I have been deterred by three things - unfamiliarity, laziness,
: and the need to reduce sodium intake.  Canned beans, according to my
: various reference books, are exceedingly high in sodium, even for canned
: goods.  Of course the obvious way around this is to use fresh beans, and
: soak them.  This is where I run up against my laziness and lack of planning.

: I have read suggestions that you can remove sodium by rinsing canned
: beans.  Does anyone have any hard information on how effective this is?
: Does it remove a significant proportion of the sodium, or has the sodium
: soaked into the beans too much?

: An alternative solution would be to soak a large quantity and keep them on
: hand.  Should they be soaked in the fridge or at room temperature?  How
: long do they keep, once soaked?  I would assume that there would be no
: problem in freezing them in small quantities -- but any advice/problems
: you have encountered would be aprreciated.
: --
Hi,
        giving salted canned beans a good rinse/soak does shift a fair
bit of the salt (at least from the taste). Try health cooking.net">food shops for beans
that don't contain added salt. Alternatively find a good vegetarian
cookbook that gives the soaking and cooking instructions for different
types of beans. Never skimp on the cooking time or they can make you
sick. I've found that a pressure cooker is a good investment - you reduce
the length of time needed for cooking and the house isn't full of beany
steam for hours. It's chepaer to cook them yourself than to buy the
canned form as well.
Debbie

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Rheumatology Research Unit, Addenbrookes Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK.
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        I never could get the hang of Thursdays   (A.Dent).

A slightly cheaper alternative to buying a presure cooker would be to
purchase a crock pot (slow cooker.)  I've found it great for cooking
beans in that you can toss them in before you go to work (pre soaked of
course) and by the time you return they'll be done.  

Happy Eating,
Conrad