Kombu in beans -- granules or powder OK? I have been using kombu in my beans for a couple of years and I love it: the beans are more tender and easier to digest, and the pot liquor is richer. I've noticed that there are kelp granules and powder for sale in a lot of health food stores. Two questions:


Do all varieties of kelp help beans the way that kombu does in
particular?
Can kelp granules or powder be used in place of whole kombu when cooking beans?


Thanks!
I don't know that there are studies on using different kinds of kelp with beans, but I have used both kombu strips and kelp granules interchangeably when cooking beans. The results seem to be the same either way.