Why isn't it safe to cook kidney beans in a slow cooker? -Elanor Kidney beans contain a toxin called Phytohaemagglutinin, also known as Kidney Bean Lectin, that, if the beans are not cooked properly, can cause extreme nausea, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. The symptoms typically start within 1 to 3 hours of ingestion and can last for... Read more →

One of those "wish I could do it better" items that has sat on my cooking To-Do list for years is beans. I prefer for taste, nutrition and cost to work with dried beans, but I'm forever plagued by inconsistent results. Well, two books that I recently got seem to have removed most if not all of my worries. The books are Harold McGee's Keys... Read more →