Should I soak my split peas overnite?

Question

I am making split pea soup tommorow. Should I soap my peas in water overntie or will that make them to soft?

Answer 1

I've done it both way's and saw no difference. I just check for debris and rocks, then rinse them.

Answer 2

I always do, and unlike what others have written, I do see a big difference not only with cooking time, but softness. Maybe there are those who like their peas more "solid" in the soup, I personally like my split pea soup pretty "blended" even mushy, i.e. the peas pretty much part of the soup itself.

Therefore I NEVER cook them without soaking overnight. Even if I am going to use the pressure cooker, I still soak for a couple of hours at least.......

Answer 3

Not necessarily health-wise, but I can tell you from experience that it will be very unpalatable. Even after extensive soaking, most legumes will be very tough and will have a bitter, disagreeable flavor. I even tried using sprouted chick peas once for hummus as recommended in Raw: The Uncook Book by Julianno Brotman. It was practically inedible. At least I could choke it down without spending hours just chewing the stuff. Although cooking them may reduce some of the vitamin content, raw legumes are undoubtedly more difficult to digest, so it may be a wash. Legumes are all great, but I think that if you are going to get the most of them both nutritionally and from a palatability perspective, you should cook them. If you are concerned with losing vitamins from boiling, you could try the slow cooker - it cooks them quite well and they will taste fantastic (with some seasoning).

Answer 4

You can if you want to but it isn't necessary. They'll cook a little faster if you soak them. I never soak mine. BTW, there's a great product called Better than Boullion you can get at some stores, it will be in the aisle with the broth. They have a ham flavor. It really is better than boullion and it keeps in the fridge forever. Would be yummy in split pea soup. Happy cooking!

Answer 5

My sister made split peas soup. She soak them over night. My mother also soak her beans over night. Soaking peas and beans over night does make them soft for cooking shorter amount of time the next day.
I got out of the habit of soaking and put beans in warm water. But you have to keep checking them to add more water as they cook. It is a longer process but I like cooking mine down and adding more water to get a thicker soup. Hope this help

Answer 6

Not necessary. They'll cook to perfection in three to four hours. Hope you're using the broth from a big ham bone, and lots of onions. That's all that needs to go in split pea soup -- oh -- and don't forget the loaf of crusty bread. Can I come for lunch?

Answer 7

No need to. They cook very fast. Split peas are not black eye peas and are lots smaller.

Answer 8

It'll be completely fine to soak em overnight..thats what i do for my black eyed peas and they dont get soft at all.

Answer 9

Its not really a rule, but soaking them overnight would make them easier and faster to cook. its your choice.

Answer 10

yes