That parching method is fascinating! I would've imagined that doing so would extend the cooking time, like with the pie weights.
Soaking has gotten a bad rap, and loses round after round, but still I soak every bean. I find that they not cook not only more quickly -- I about fell over dead at the report of four hours in the pressure cooker -- but also more evenly.
On the unspeakable. I have also heard that eating beans frequently is the antidote, and I definitely find that soaking helps (in fact, this is why I soak the quintessential no-soak bean, the lentil. Unsoaked lentils cause me serious Problems). That said -- I eat 'em almost every day, and I continue to be a lady with some Problems. Not catastrophic problems, to be sure. But smallish, persistent Problems.
