Cooking Dried Beans

Slow Cooker For Dry Beans

This tip is so simple, yet it has saved me many dollars and much time.
Dried beans are much better, much cheaper, and more healthful than the canned variety because you can control the salt content. I have tried a number of methods, pre-soaking, soaking, then freezing, simmering for hours without soaking, and it seems they were either never quite done or too mushy.

A friend taught me a better way. Rinse the beans, measure a cup or two, put in a slow cooker, add twice the amount of water and cook all night or all day on low. The first time, you may want to add extra water to make sure nothing scorches while you're not watching, but once you understand your slow cooker, you'll be able to skip this step. If I'm away, I add extra water, then just drain when it's time to use the beans.

You can also cook them in three hours or so on high, depending on the slow cooker.

I use this for everything: garbanzo beans, black beans, white beans and lima beans. I have read that kidney beans should always be cooked on high because of a toxin that's not destroyed at lower heats, so I do that, too. Lentils and split peas take less time.

Recipes for dried beans in slow cookers always suggest soaking them first, there is no need!

By Theresa Curry

Cooking With Dried Beans

Beans, beans, the frugal fruit, the more you eat them, the more you save money! Actually beans are a legume but there is no question that they are a frugal staple in any diet.

Using Dried Legumes (Beans and Peas)

The great thing about dry beans is that they can be bought in bulk and stored for a long time. They are also both healthy and versatile. For a profile of all the nutrition benefits of beans check out the Northwest Harvest Bean Association website: http://www.northarvestbean.org/html/chefsguide.cfm#beanhealthy

Cooked vs Uncooked

As a general rule, 1 cup of dried beans or peas will expand to 2 to 3 cups cooked.

Preparing Dried Beans and Peas

Spread the beans you plan to cook out on a cookie sheet. Remove any debris, empty shells or discolored beans. Then put the beans in a colander or strainer and rinse.

Soaking Dried Beans and Peas

You can reduce the cooking time of beans by pre-soaking them. The legumes that don't require pre-soaking are lentils, split peas, black-eyed peas and mung beans.

Quick Soak - Add 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans that you wish to soak. Bring the water to a rapid boil and then remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour before using. Don't boil the beans for too long or you may damage the skins.

Overnight Soak - Add 4 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans that you wish to soak. Soak beans overnight. Overnight soaking of beans will make them more digestible so less intestinal gas is usually produced after you eat them.

Cooking Beans and Peas

1. Discard the soaking water and rinse. You can always use it for plant water.

2. Add 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans. Add 1 tablespoon of oil or other fat to reduce foaming during cooking.

3. Bring beans or peas to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender. Simmer gently to prevent skins from bursting. Stir occasionally.

4. Beans and peas are done when they are tender and soft to the touch. They can take between 1 1/2 to 3 hours to cook depending on the size and type of bean. Peas take about an hour. Set a time timer and check them every 15 to 30 minutes. Hard water, altitude and the age of the beans may effect bean cooking times.

5. Drain beans immediately after they reach their desire tenderness to halt the cooking process.

More Cooking Tips from the NBGA

• Onions may be added at any time during the cooking process. For a stronger onion flavor, add them during the last half-hour of cooking.

• Herbs and spices like oregano, parsley, thyme and garlic may be added at any time during cooking.

• Add salt only after beans are cooked to tender. If added before, salt may cause bean skins to become impermeable, halting the tenderizing process.

• Add lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, chili sauce, catsup, molasses or wine after beans have been soaked and are fully cooked. Wait to add these and other ingredients rich in calcium or acids. They can prevent beans from becoming tender.

• Do not add baking soda to beans at any time. Baking soda robs the beans of the B-vitamin thiamin and may affect the flavor of the cooked beans.

Source: Northwest Bean Growers Association

Storing Dried Beans and Peas

Store dried beans and peas in an airtight (covered) container. Store in a cool, dry area.

Dry Beans, Beans, Beans!

This is part one of two articles that will give you some really good information on beans. Most people love a great chili or baked beans, but most people don't know how to identify the beans in any dish. Beans are a great way to stretch your food budget and can feed a crowd.

They are a great source of protein and when teamed with rice or other grains, meat, or cheese they make a complete protein. Beans are full of good carbohydrates along with being a great source for iron and calcium. With fiber galore, beans aid the digestion process. Beans are great for people who suffer from osteoporosis or anemia and because they slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal they are a good choice for diabetics. Beans are also high in antioxidants. This article is going to give you lots of good information on beans and what the different kinds are.

Bean Varieties

Adzuki: These beans are used in Asian cuisine and are popular in Japanese cooking for confections. These are small, reddish-brown beans, rounded in shape with a point at one end. They have a distinctive white ridge along one side. They have a strong, nutty, sweet flavor. Adzuki beans can be purchased whole or powdered at Asian markets and are used to make red sweet bean paste.

Cooking Time: 3/4 to 1 hour

Anasazi: These beans are small kidney shaped purple and white beans in the same family as pinto beans. These heirloom beans are sweet, fast-cooking, and reputed to cause less flatulence than other bean varieties. They're great for making refried beans.

Cooking time: 2 hours

Black: These beans are small ovals with deep black skins they have a dark cream to gray flesh and have a mild sweet texture and taste. They are some times called Turtle beans. These beans are a staple of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, where they're used to make side dishes, soups, bean dips, and salads. They have a strong, earthy flavor, so they're often combined with strong spices.

Cooking Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Black-Eye: These beans are kidney shaped and they have a white skin with a small black eye and have a flavor all their own. These are used in Southern cooking and African cooking. They are also called cowpeas or black eyed peas. These small beans cook quickly and require no presoaking.

Cooking Time: 1/2 to 1 hour

Cannellini These are large white beans, about 1/2" long, with a firm texture and skin and a nut-like flavor. They are also know as White Kidney beans and can be used just like kidney beans. Cannellini beans are used in Italian dishes but are also great in bean salads or soups.

Equivalents: 1 cup dried beans yields 2 1/2 cups cooked beans

Cooking time: 1 hour

Cranberry: These beans are usually white or cream in color with deep red or cranberry marks that are distributed in different patterns on the bean that disappear on cooking. The flavor of this bean has a nut like taste that is comparable to a chestnut. These are use in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese food.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 3/4 to 1 hour

Garbanzo: These beans are beige to pale yellow but also can be green, red or brown. Garbanzo beans have a delicious nutlike taste and a texture that is buttery, yet somewhat starchy and pasty. They are also called chickpeas and are used in Middle Eastern, Indian dishes like hummus, falafels and curries.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Great Northern: These beans are a flat, kidney-shaped, medium-sized bean, that is white in color. They have a mild flavor that is delicate which takes on the flavors of other foods which they are cooked. They are used in French cooking in cassoulet, in soups and stews and are the beans used in Boston baked beans.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 3/4 to 1 hour

Kidney (Light Red): These beans are large and kidney-shaped. They have a full bodied flavor which is robust and a soft texture. These beans are popular in Caribbean cuisine and often paired with rice.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 to 1/2 hours

Kidney (Dark Red): These beans are large, kidney-shaped, deep reddish-brown in color. They have a robust full bodied taste with a soft texture. They are used in chili and 3 bean salad and are the beans used in red beans and rice.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Lima (Baby): These beans are flat shaped and creamy white in color and have a rich buttery flavor. They are used in southern cooking where they are a mainstay and in soups, stews and casseroles or can be cooked as a side dish cooked with herbs and spices.

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Lima (Large) : These beans have a flat shape and are ivory color in color. They have a smooth and creamy sweet taste. They are also called Butter beans in the south. They are a good substitute for potatoes or rice; excellent in soups, casseroles.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Navy: These beans are small white ovals. They have a mild flavor and a powdery texture. They are also called pea beans and are used in pork and beans and baked beans but are most famous used in soups like Senate Navy bean soup.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Pink: These beans are small, pale-pink and turn reddish brown when cooked. They have a rich and meaty flavor and a slightly powdery texture. They are a relative of the kidney bean and are used in southwestern chili and any where a small bean is desired.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Pinto: These beans are medium ovals that have mottled beige and brown coloring that turn brown when cooked. These beans are used in Mexican cooking and can also be used to make pork and beans and refried beans.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

Small Red: These beans are dark red in color and they are similar to red kidney but smaller. They also have a flavor similar to red kidney beans. These beans are also called Mexican red beans. They hold both there shape and firmness when cooked. They are used in soups and salads and chili and creole dishes.

Equivalents: 1 pound beans = 2 cups dried beans = 4-5 cups cooked beans.

Cooking Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours

This article can be printed out and put in a notebook for future reference. Hope you enjoy this article and I hope this helps you the next time you are in the store staring at all the different beans. Also try your health food or natural food stores they can some more unusual beans for you to try.

By Debra Frick

Cooking Pinto Beans

As a southern gal, I must have pinto beans every now and again cooked by me and not from a can. Since I got old and my hands became arthritic, it was difficult to rinse the beans and lift the slow cooker or large bean pot to pour off the water used for washing. I then had to lift the vessel into the slow cooker or onto the stove.

I now get my sinks hospital clean, set my colander in the sink and swish the beans around under running water with my hands for five or six minutes. They will be lighter in color after being washed. I dump them into my pot of choice and fill with water using a glass.

I also have started keeping my beans in an old applesauce jar. It's much easier to deal with than a bag of beans flopping around. I don't drop nearly as many beans this way.

By Marty D. from Knoxville, TN

Keeping Soaked Beans Handy

Bulk beans are so much cheaper than buying canned beans, it always takes a little planning though, and in the past I'd always forget. Not anymore, I have a big yogurt container boldly marked "BEANS" that I keep filled with soaking beans in the refrigerator all the time.

When I make a pot of beans, I've made it a habit to clean the container, refill it with beans and water, then put it back in the fridge. In a few days when I want to make beans again, they are ready to cook.

Now, I make beans at least once a week, so this works very well, and the beans don't go bad. It's healthier too. I know what I put in my beans and don't have to read a label to double check ingredients.

I try to keep at least one cup of beans soaking, but usually two. Cover the beans with equally the same amount of water if not more. Sometimes after a couple days I will check them to make sure the beans haven't soaked up all the water and will add more.

Here is my favorite easy bean recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pre-soaked black beans
• 1 cup pre-soaked kidney beans or other bean
• 1/2 or one whole onion, diced (to taste)
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of rice or quinoa
• 1/2 bell pepper, any color (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil (other vegetable oil may be substituted)
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp - 1 Tbsp. cayenne (to taste)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. chili pepper flakes
• 1-2 Tbsp. garlic powder OR 2-4 cloves freshly diced garlic

Directions

1. Rinse your soaked beans in a colander. Dump them into a large stock pot and cover by about an inch-two inches more of water.

2. Boil on medium heat until soft, but not squishy. Usually for about an hour. Check on them occasionally to ensure water level stays above beans and that you don't burn them.

3. Put oil, all spices, and garlic into a frying pan on medium heat and fry for about a minute.

4. Add diced onions and peppers to oil and fry for another minute or two until just soft, and remove from heat.

5. Dump beans into colander and rinse again, then return to pot.

6. Mix beans, diced tomatoes, and onion spice mixture together.

7. Add rice or quinoa and one cup of water. Cover.

8. Heat back to a slow boil for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally until rice/quinoa have cooked thoroughly.

Serve with chips as a snack, with tortillas and taco fixings, or eat as a main dish.

By Mara

Quicker Cooking Dried Beans

Cut the cooking time way down on dried beans by soaking overnight, then freezing them in usable quantities. Then cook them by boiling them until soft. The freezing breaks down some of the cell fibers allowing them to cook more quickly.

By Linda

Beans: Poor Man's Protein

Meat is a delicacy in our house. It's better for our budget. This is how I make my weekly pot of beans. The recipe is vegetarian, but still comes out thick and gooey. I vary the beans I use to ensure I get a variety of plant proteins. I hope you enjoy these beans!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. of dried beans, at least two kinds
• 4 tsp. dry mustard
• 4 tsp. onion powder
• 4 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. salt

Directions:

Soak the beans for eight hours. Then add extra water and bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for three hours, stirring occasionally. When the beans are soft, and the water level is about a half inch above the top of the beans, add all the dry ingredients and stir. Put on low heat and cover to let the flavors soak in. Stir occasionally to prevent the beans at the bottom from burning. When you have a thick bean pudding, you're done! Turn off the heat and serve.

By mrzootaloot from NH