I decimated 3 batches (2 cups ea) of dry cannellini beans this week.

The first batch I didn't soak and the second and third soaked with a few pinches of baking soda overnight+. Maybe half in each batch had broken their skins, broken into pieces, were a mess. The second batch was so mushy, as soon as they cooled, I took an immersion blender to them and made a bean dip with olive oil and a packet of taco seasoning. The third batch I drastically reduced the cooking time by half because I thought maybe I added too much baking soda in a too long soak. The remaining beans went into a vegetable minestrone, the starch from the broken beans thickened the soup to perfection.

Any dry bean gurus out there? I had a really hard time finding answers to my dilemma(s).