The Worst Mistake You Can Make When Cooking Black Bean Soup

Comforting, hearty, creamy, and delicious black bean soup is a wonderful recipe to keep in your "what's for dinner" arsenal. Whip up a large pot for a week-long lunch solution or load it up with toppings like sour cream, shredded cheddar, ripe avocado, and sautéed chorizo for a belly-filling dinner that's hard not to love. Unfortunately, many home cooks steer clear of black beans after an unsuccessful attempt made them bitter. There are a few ways to negate the bitterness in black bean soup, but one of the most important is using enough salt.

While there seems to be opposing viewpoints on the matter, salting black beans, whether you're starting from dried or canned, is a surefire way to avoid a bitter batch. As it turns out, salt — or the sodium ion (Na+) found in salt — acts as a bitter suppressant. When the ion binds to the dedicated salt receptors on your tongue, it interferes with the bitter taste receptors, making the food more palatable.

Though salt is important when making black bean soup, there are other valuable techniques that will keep things flavorful and negate bitterness. To get the most from dried black beans, there's no need to soak them overnight. Not only does it leach out both color and flavor, it's simply an unneeded, time-consuming step. The only reason to pre-soak is if you're using old (2+ years) dried beans, but regardless, be sure to salt the cooking liquid liberally when you're ready to start. If you're using canned black beans, be sure to drain and rinse them, as sometimes canned beans are bitter before they even enter your pot.

If you're using canned or dried beans, adding aromatics such as onions and garlic to the mix is another way to add flavor and avoid bitterness. If you dress up your canned black beans with seasonings like onion and garlic, just be sure to let them sweat. Be careful not to burn them before adding the beans and liquid, as burnt onion is sure to make your whole pot bitter. Also, save fresh cilantro until the end, as prolonged cooking can make it taste bitter (whether you're genetically predisposed to hating cilantro or not). Finally, a good squeeze of fresh lime juice or a small glug of apple cider vinegar before serving will not only help eliminate any lingering bitterness, but will also brighten the flavor of your black bean soup and keep people coming back for more.