Does Putting a Potato in Beans Reduce Gas?

Does Putting a Potato in Beans Reduce Gas
5/5 - (12 votes)

If you are looking for a veggie as a side dish that compliments all the food with enriched flavor then beans can be a great solution. Not only from the perspective of taste, but it also contains highly nutritious elements that maintain healthiness. But what to do with the gas that forms afterward which may lead to an embarrassment? Does putting a potato in beans reduce gas?

Luckily, potatoes work very well in reducing the gassy taste of beans. After eating beans of finger-licking taste, now it is time to face some gas in the stomach that may also lead to flatulence. But if you don’t want to experience such scenarios, potatoes can make it happen.

Does Putting a Potato in Beans Reduce Gas

Why Do Beans Form Gas?

Due to some non-digestive elements of beans, it forms gas. Beans are one of the most delicious and nutritious veggies that can be cooked very easily at home. For this reason, most people prefer to cook beans as a side dish. But after eating beans, it is very common to have gas formation in the stomach.

This happens due to the fibrous element of the beans. Since our digestive system takes time to digest these fibrous products, it forms some gas in the stomach. Beans contain a certain type of carbohydrate that is usually unbreakable. So, it goes to the intestine for further digestion.

But in the meantime, it secretes some sort of gas which is the main reason for the formation of gassiness. But no need to worry about it because this gas neither deteriorates your health or makes you sick. Rather it confirms a sign that your stomach is working fine.

How Does Potatoes Reduce Gas in Beans?

Potatoes greatly reduce the gassiness from the beans by absorbing the non-digestive elements. We often see that beans are soaked with a large piece of potato before cooking. But have you ever wondered why it is done? Though beans are very delightful to eat with other main course meals, it creates gas afterward. Potatoes help greatly in minimizing such scenarios.

There are various fibrous elements in beans which are mostly unbreakable by our digestive system. For this reason, gas forms in our body which eventually leads to musical byproducts. So, to get rid of this phenomenon using potatoes has been a traditional action. Here are some guidelines on how potatoes should be used to eliminate gas from beans:

  1. Soak the Beans

Before cooking the beans or peeling them, soak them in boiled water for 6-7 hours or overnight. It will help to loosen the fibers and upper layer of the beans. In this way, you can easily peel the outer cover and the fibrous layer.

  1. Potato action

When the beans get soft, peel a medium-sized potato and add it to the water. In this step, the potato will absorb all the fibers that create excessive gas. Besides, adding potatoes also makes the beans softer due to pressure release while soaking.

  1. Remove and cook

After a few hours, take out the potato and dispose of it. Rinse water from the beans and wash with fresh water. Finally, all the gases are removed from the beans and they are ready to be cooked.

In this way, potatoes reduce the possibility of gassiness if you eat beans. But is there any other technique that will reduce the gases of beans? Let’s find out the answer.

How to Reduce Gas From Beans?

Various techniques like soaking in water, baking soda, potato, etc. can be used to reduce the gas from beans. Beans are very easy to cook with tons of flavors and are a must-go side dish. But most people think twice before eating this dish since it forms a gassy feeling in the stomach later on.

But various techniques can be followed to reduce gas in beans. Some of the most effective and easy ways are mentioned below:

Soaking in water

It is one of the most popular techniques for eliminating gases from beans. Beans need to be soaked in water overnight in this process. It helps the sodium and fibrous elements to dissolve in water. Rinse the water and wash several times after soaking and your beans are ready to be cooked.

Baking soda

In this technique, baking soda works as a breaking agent for the gas-making sugars in the bean. First, soak the beans in water and add a spoon of baking soda to it. After 4 hours, you will notice that the outer coating of the beans becomes soft. In this process, the actual flavor of the beans is not changed at all.

Pressure cooking

This technique works very efficiently and is known as the easiest one as well. To make this technique work, first, you have to soak the beans for an hour. Then place them in a pressure cooker with fresh water and start to cook them. Set the pressure rating high so that all the foamy gas sugar is broken. Then drain the water and wash them for the final time before cooking.

Cooking with herbs

Instead of cooking beans only, add some herbs to it. This technique not only increases the sizzling veggie flavor but also reduces the chances of gas formation. Apart from this, you can simply use onions and tomatoes with the beans to get a gas-free yummy taste.

These are some of the alternative techniques if you don’t want to remove the gas with the potato technique.

Things to Be Kept in Mind

Although you have learned the techniques for reducing gases, some important facts are needed to be kept in mind:

  1. When a potato is used for reducing the gas of beans, throw away that potato when your work is done. Since all the gases are absorbed by that piece of potato, there is no point in cooking it.
  2. If you forget to remove fibers or gas from the beans, eat them slowly. Give it some time and take breaks in between each spoon.
  3. If anyone eats too much and can realize the gas formation, he should drink water more to eliminate the gas.

These are some of the tips and tricks you should remember to avoid gas from beans.

Conclusion

Dishes made of beans have lots of beneficial aspects that include health improvement. Besides, beans are also a time-saving and delicious recipe that can be served anytime. But due to sugar accumulation and gas formation, many of us try to avoid these dishes. In this case, potatoes can help greatly to reduce such gases from the beans.

So, you can enjoy the deliciousness of beans without any worries whenever you want.

Recommended Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *