Can Chick Peas take over two hours to cook?

Question

I have been cooking Chick Peas for 2 hours, and they still feel too hard to enjoy. (I did soak them for 24 hours before that).

Can that be? They have been sitting in my pantry for some years, would that affect them? (They look and taste perfectly fine, just won't get soft)

Edit: I checked of course on the recipe and the internet - they all say 1 1/2 hours. So what could I have been doing wrong?

related: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/44992/why-wont-my-beans-soften, particularly the top answer — Jolenealaska, Jan 18 '16 at 02:23
I think that is the answer. They are for sure older than 12 months, and that means they will probably never cook soft. Thanks. — Aganju, Jan 18 '16 at 03:07

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 25 '16 at 18:53

2

They sound like they've been around too long. Check use by date on bag to be safe.

answered Jan 25 '16 at 18:53

Jrg

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 26 '16 at 14:55

It sounds like age, but I thought it might be worth adding for next time: adding salt too early in the cooking process is thought to harden them too.

To aid in softening, it's been said that adding bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) during the soaking process can help soften chickpeas more: http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/Soaking-Chickpeas-/3470

However, opinions differ for the addition of salt:

Toughens skin

Add salt

2 Answers2