What's Up with That Foamy Stuff When You Wash Canned Beans? — Grocery Store Canned Goods

As a vegetarian, I eat beans — and lots of them. At least once a week, and usually far more often, I'll find myself at the sink rinsing off canned kidney beans in a colander to rid them of the liquid glop from the can, or standing over a pot of dried chickpeas, giving it an occasional stir. In both instances, foam appears, and I'm vigilant about eradicating it — rinsing cooked beans until the water runs clear and skimming off the cloud of foam that appears on top of the pot of dried beans. After years — decades even — of these bean-prep habits, it occurs to me that maybe my foam eradication quest is not entirely necessary.

To find out, I reached out to nutritionists to find out what causes bean foam — and if it's safe to eat.

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