Tips And Tricks On How To Cook The Perfect Bean
Posted in Videos on 01. Dec, 2009
After reading more about BPA’s presence in canned foods and the chemical’s link to breast cancer, I have been trying to cook more dried beans and less canned ones. The first several times, however, no matter how much I soaked them, they simply did not get the same potato-y texture as cooked canned beans have. Until now, that is.
This weekend I cooked a huge pot of kidney and cannellini beans to perfection!
First, I boiled the beans for about 25 minutes, adding more water as needed. Then I drained and rinsed them, and put the beans back into my crock pot with leftover ingredients from my vegan Thanksgiving: onion, garlic, vegetable and mushroom broths and fresh sage. As usual, I didn’t measure anything, but the crock pot was about half full of beans, the liquid just covered them, and the spices were done to my liking. Finally, I put the lid on, turned it on high, and let the beans cook for about 4 hours.
Have you found a perfect way to cook dried beans? Leave your tips and tricks for cooking the perfect beans in the comments!
I soak my beans overnight in warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda. (This makes them softer and less “gassy”.) The next morning, I rinse the beans off and put them in a big pot, cover them with water, and simmer them covered until they are nice and tender. Depending on the bean, this can take anywhere from forty-five minutes to two hours. I sometimes throw a sliced onion in the pot, too, but not always. Two more tips:
-If you have to add more water to the pot, make sure the water is hot. This keeps the beans from turning dark.
-Don’t add salt until the beans are done. Otherwise, they won’t be as tender.
You can also soak beans overnight instead of boiling them, it probably keeps more vitamins in the beans.
I have read in numerous sources (Christina Pirello, off the top of my head) that soaking drains the beans of their fabulous nutrients and if you can you should just let them sit in hot water for about an hour THEN boil for about 40 minutes.
This method always works well for me. Beans come out not too tough, not too soft.
Beans you’ve had hanging around the house for a couple of years probably won’t cook up nice and potato-y; they are too old and no matter how long you cook them, they will not get soft.
Pinto Beans: I soak the beans for up to 24 hours, then rinse them.
Place them in a slow cooker with chopped onions and some seasoning (cummin, basil, etc.).
Add water about an inch or 2 above the beans.
Slow cook for about 7 to 8 hours.
Sometimes I add mushrooms about an hour before they are done.
This is the most delicious way I have found to make them.
Enjoy!
I invested in a pressure cooker and it works like a charm. Cuts cooking time down to 1/3. From my limited research, Lorna Sass seems to be the pressure cooking guru in North America…I borrowed her “Complete Vegetarian Kitchen” from the library and found the tables detailing cooking times for various grains and beans helpful.