Just a pinch of baking soda cuts the cook time on a pot of beans by about an hour. Baking soda weakens the natural pectin in beans which causes them to soften more easily and cook more evenly. One caution: adding more baking soda will not make the beans cook even faster. Just 1/4 teaspoon is enough baking soda for it to do its magic. Adding more will only give the the beans an off-putting soapy flavor.