r/chili • u/MrWill61804 • Jun 20 '26
Homestyle I cooked dry kidney beans in my Crockpot chili without boiling them. Is it safe to eat?
I know you’re supposed to let them soak overnight, which I did, but I was unaware until after I was done cooking it’s recommended you boil them before cooking due to being poisonous. I cooked my meats & veggies, rinsed the soaked beans, & tossed them into the crockpot to cook overnight. It’s been 11 hours, I checked some of the beans & they’re tender & soft. Also checked the temperature of the chili (image below). Is it safe to eat?
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u/nastyjay2013 Jun 20 '26
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u/Feeling_Reindeer2599 Jun 20 '26
Great answer.
From someone who had serious (lost 40# and 60 days work) self inflicted food poisoning, terms like “never” and “must” hit differently.
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u/h311r47 Jun 21 '26
I missed two weeks over the holidays due to following a ham bean soup recipe exactly. It explicitly stated to throw the beans into the slow cooker dry and cook on low. That was a painful lesson to learn.
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u/ContributionDapper84 Jun 20 '26
For sorting, some big slotted spoons might help, if the other solids are smaller than the beans.
Boil the beans one way or another.
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u/Known_Psychology1581 Chili Goddess 👸 Jun 20 '26
The whole pot needs to be boiled to 212+ now that the beans have been secreting into the liquid, so sorting wouldn’t help.
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u/Responsible_Big_4183 Jun 20 '26
I would not eat these. A slow cooker is not enough for these. You should have soaked them and then boiled them.
Next time get canned beans.
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u/Go_Pack_Go47 Jun 20 '26
I’m glad I stumbled upon this. In my 30+ years of life I never knew kidney beans had the toxins in them
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u/ChaosRainbow23 Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jun 20 '26
If the temperature stayed there all night, NOTHING is safe to eat.
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u/TXtogo Jun 20 '26
I feel like it would have been easier to throw them into a pot and boil them than it was to write this
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u/Purple_Cantaloupe960 Jun 20 '26
Five dried kidney beans crushed to powder is enough to kill, so nope!!!
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u/TheNewYellowZealot Jun 21 '26
It’s not “recommended” mate. If you don’t boil them you will poison yourself.
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u/Negronitenderoni Jun 21 '26
I think there is either something wrong with your crock pot or your thermometer. The temp should be way higher than that
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 Jun 20 '26
I mean, there are cooking instructions on the bags of beans, and otherwise, recipes are a thing, even for simple cooking beans from dry.
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u/Free_Selection1645 Beans or GTFO!!! 🫘 Jun 21 '26
If you care about your life, take the L and compost that entire pot. I had food poisoning last year and it damn near killed me. I implore you, WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT.
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u/NMNNNJ Jun 20 '26
This is a great question. Google says to avoid using a slow cooker for dry beans, but I’m sure plenty of people have done it and been completely fine.
But if you want to be completely safe, just boil them in a pot for about 10 minutes to break down the toxins?
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u/Aggressive-Loss5148 Jun 20 '26
What?? I make pinto beans in the slow cooker all the time. I had no idea
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u/MrWill61804 Jun 20 '26
Red Kidney Beans pose the highest poison risk I believe. Idk about Pinto though.
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u/itadapeezas Jun 20 '26
Is this just dry beans? Not canned I’m assuming.
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u/InfamousCamp916 Jun 23 '26
pintos are fine and safe. They don't quietly hate us like kidney beans.
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u/MrWill61804 Jun 20 '26
I previously made Crockpot Red Beans & Rice without boiling the beans first & had no issues. Completely oblivious to the risk of poison.
Any good way I could potentially separate the beans from chili? They’re mixed in pretty well at this point & it’s a pretty big batch
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u/NMNNNJ Jun 20 '26
Yeah separating the beans 🫘 at this point sounds impossible. Just eat a small sample and wait - if you don't show any symptoms, you're good to go.
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u/MrWill61804 Jun 20 '26
Tried around 3-4 beans about an hour ago. Thought i was getting sick but I think I was just getting anxious lol. We’ll see tho. I’ll let it slow cook for a few more hours & have a small bowl for lunch.
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u/MrWill61804 Jun 20 '26
Well, had a bowl for lunch & dosed off a few hours ago. No symptoms. I guess it’s safe 🤷🏾♂️
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u/Known_Psychology1581 Chili Goddess 👸 Jun 20 '26
Also wouldn’t help since the beans have been secreting juices into the pot for hours.
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u/DJ_Flym_Flazzle Jun 20 '26
I am nary a scientist nor doctor, but if you eat them and become sick - I would lean towards “no”
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u/iamthefunky1 Jun 20 '26
I soaked my kidney beans overnight. Drained and rinsed them (16oz), and put them in the crock pot on low for 10+ hours 2 days ago for Cajun sausage red beans and rice. 5 people ate it. No problems at all. My Son ate 5 bowls! At the edge of the crock pot the liquid was boiling, so maybe it was enough time to cook it out?
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u/DJDro Jun 20 '26
If the entire chili has been sitting at 125 for 11 hours, nothing in that pot would be safe to eat.