All juiced up and nothing to do

October 7, 2011 10:11 AM

Can garbanzo bean liquid be used for anything else?

I just used three cans of garbanzo beans in a hummus recipe, and even after having used some of the liquid to thin out the hummus I still have quite a bit of the drained-off liquid left. I can't find anything on the interwebs or in previous Asks about the leftover liquid but I'm just curious, are there any other uses for chickpea juice?

posted by mcbeth to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Best answer: What you have is a can of fart juice. When you soak beans in water, the gas-causing whatevers leach out of them. Just throw it away (unless you're a twelve year old boy and plan to launch a sneak butt-stink attack on your older sister).
posted by phunniemee at 10:19 AM on October 7, 2011 [20 favorites]

I've never seen anything about canning liquid, but I've used the cooking liquid from dried beans instead of water or broth in stews and soups with beans or warm bean salad, and that's essentially what that is. I'd taste it, and if you can't think of anything you'd want that flavor\texture in, throw it out.

I hate to waste flavorful liquid, but if there was a good application for this stuff it'd probably have been found and already put on the internet.
posted by Gygesringtone at 10:24 AM on October 7, 2011

It's just salty water with gas-making starches in it. It's not a by-product of the garbanzos, it's not "chickpea juice", it's just some packing liquid. Dump it & forget about it.
posted by Aquaman at 10:39 AM on October 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

Had you cooked the beans yourself, the liquid would have been 1) likely less in any case and 2) indeed useable in soups and the likes. Unless your taste specifically goes out for can-flavor liquid, I'd vote for the old goodbye (for the same reason I thin out hummus with fresh water, when using canned garbanzo beans).
posted by Namlit at 10:40 AM on October 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

I agree with phunniemee and Aquaman that this sounds very unappetizing. Jarred or canned chickpeas are a very simple product: you're just buying them for the chickpeas, and the rest goes in the garbage or down the drain.

Here's a more general thread on using the liquid from "jarred goods." No one mentions chickpeas or any kind of beans. If you're interested in economizing in this kind of way, use juices and oils that are more likely to be deliciously flavorful: the juice olives or roasted red peppers are storred in, the oil used in jarred dried tomatoes, etc.

I will use oil from jars, but I avoid using the excess juices in jars, since I figure they're just slightly flavored water overwhelmed by salt.
posted by John Cohen at 10:45 AM on October 7, 2011

The liquid may contain some soluble fiber but I agree that it's not very appetizing.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 10:57 AM on October 7, 2011

Often the ingredients list for canned beans includes such delicious things as disodium EDTA and sodium bisulfate, which are not good eats.

Almost all recipes calling for canned beans says discard the liquid. I agree.
posted by General Malaise at 11:01 AM on October 7, 2011

Cooking liquid, yes; canning liquid, no, especially if it includes calcium chloride.
posted by holgate at 11:02 AM on October 7, 2011

You can definitely sneak it into soups (and other foods) for guests upon whom you would like to inflict terrible gas.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 11:03 AM on October 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

I had a friend who told me he knew someone that watered their (apparently amazing) orchids with bean soaking water. I've never tried it on my houseplants, so I can't confirm whether or not this is worthwhile.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:23 PM on October 7, 2011

I had a friend who told me he knew someone that watered their (apparently amazing) orchids with bean soaking water.

OP is asking about the water canned beans are packed in, not the water in which dry beans have been soaked. The packing liquid would almost certainly be salty enough to kill an orchid in short order.

I agree with everyone. It's horrible, viscid fart-water. Do not try to use it for anything because it is gross.
posted by wreckingball at 2:01 PM on October 7, 2011

No. That stuff is weird viscous crap with a bunch of preservatives in it. You rinsed your beans, right? Now you should dump the stuff in the cans.
posted by Gilbert at 2:06 PM on October 7, 2011

not only wouldn't i use it, but I rinse canned beans in running water before I use them.

(also don't use canned beans)
posted by JPD at 3:17 PM on October 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

And to go one further: I've found that using tap water works much better when thinning out hummus. A lot of recipes tell you to use that water, and I don't know why, because it's disgusting.
posted by SpiffyRob at 6:55 AM on October 8, 2011

Response by poster: General concensus is don't save the liquid - good enough, I won't.
Thanks!

(heh. fart juice. heh.)
posted by mcbeth at 5:55 AM on October 9, 2011