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If you're using hard water or beans damaged by age or storage, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per pound of dried beans to the soaking water. If you empty the soaking water and use fresh water to cook the beans, replace the baking soda.

The tenderness that baking soda offers comes with a cost, a sacrifice of both taste and nutrition, according to the Culinary Institute of America. If too much baking soda is used, the beans can taste of soap, so measure carefully. Baking soda also damages thiamine, a B complex vitamin.

Instead of adding baking soda to the beans, try boiling then freezing them.

Summer Bean Salad Beans – a couple of cups, washed, trimmed and cooked until tender crisp (steam or nuke for 2–3 minutes) Feta cheese, crumbled Red bell pepper, sliced thinly Red onion, sliced thinly Chopped herbs; I used the basil and parsley I grew, but you can use any combination Radishes, cut into matchsticks Extra virgin olive oil Vinegar (I recommend white, wine or cider vinegar over balsamic, but use what you like) Sea salt Cracked black pepper, to taste Toss all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper to taste.Let chill for about 30 minutes before serving to let ingredients mingle and set. From Thebestofthymes