Dried Bean Help

FatAssBecky

Is there a magic secret to get dried beans to actually taste good? I buy a ton of canned beans so looking to save some $$ and cans.

Whenever I try anything with dried beans, they are crunchy and/or gross. This is usually soaking overnight in room temp water and have tried in a crockpot.

Will dried beans ever taste like canned beans?

I've just tried using dried lentils a few days ago and was successful. I guess I am making progress in the bean world….

FlaxMilk

Lentils are going to be your easiest, because they don't have to be soaked.

Make sure the dry beans you are using are fresh-ish and not too old. Be careful when using salt with bean cooking because you can toughen them up.

Let us know if you find a good technique-this is a perpetual goal of mine too.

(I know for me impatience is my primary problem.)

editorgrrl

I prefer my beans cooked on the stove, rather than in a slow cooker. Soak overnight, discard the soaking water (to reduce gas), then cook with fresh water (different beans have different cooking times). Never add salt or acid (tomatoes, vinegar, etc.) until the end. They make beans tough.

Lentils & split peas need no soaking.

If you really hate dry beans, it's cheaper in the long run to keep buying canned (maybe generic?) and trim your budget elsewhere.

jayjrf

Eat lots of beans in this house.

Soak over night.
Sautee onions, peppers (your choice), and garlic in a pot med heat. Your choice of oils. If you use granulated, don't put in pot yet.
Drain the beans and put in the pot once rest is sweated out.
Pour chicken stock in to cover beans. This deglazes pot. Scratch bottom of pot to get the good bits up.
Add spices/herbs/granulated to your taste.
Bring to boil slowly. Should still be on med heat.
Reduce to low or 1 once it boils and cover with lid.
Let everything cook in together for a few hours.
Stir every 30min or so.

Spices/herbs
- oinion
- celantro/corriader
- garlic
- parsley
- paprika (smoked if you got it)
- sea salt
- black pepper
- basil

vegan4lyfe2012

I always make my beans from dry. The most important step is soaking them overnight. Not just a few hours and I don't do the "Quick Soak" method, either. I soak them for at least 8 hours and try for about 10. Then, I rinse them and put them in my crock pot and cook on low. Length of time depends on the bean type. Great Northerns and Kidneys take about 7 hours, whereas Black and Pintos take about 5.

Don't give up just yet! Here's a wonderful website to help you:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/driedbeantip.htm

acpgee

For beans other than lentils, you can shorten the soak as follows: Place beans in cold water and bring to a boil. Boil a few minutes then drain, discarding the water. Then cook as if they had been soaked. This supposedly has the same effect of making them less gassy.

My favourite lentil recipe: Boil puy lentils for 20-40 minutes until done to your liking with a whole head of garlic cut across in two and some sprigs of rosemary and thyme.. I like them al dente, but cooking time will vary depending how long they have been on the shelf. Drain and pick out the herbs and garlic cloves. Dress with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon. You can sprinkle some additional optional thyme. Salting after cooking prevents the skins from toughening.

MaryJane_8810002

I like making Falafels from dried Chick Peas. I make a mean Spanish rice with dried pigeon peas. I make decent Black Bean Burgers from dried Black beans. I'm just saying that it can be done just:

1. Soak beans for 8 hours, I prefer 24 hours
2. Boil Beans until they are really soft (it sounds like your beans are a bit undercooked). Do not shy away from taste testing them.

Kimbie500

Personally, I love my pressure cooker. Picked one up inexpensively at Meijer - similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Presto-6-Quart-Aluminum-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B00006ISG3/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1388945434&sr=1-3&keywords=presto+pressure+cooker. If I had it to do over, I might get a larger one. This one will do a 1# bag of dry beans easily, but that doesn't leave a lot of room for other stuff with the beans. If you're just looking to do plain beans, this should be fine.

I love soaking overnight (or from morning to supper) and then having beans that are comparable to canned in (generally) under an hour.

The first few times I used it, I was sure I was going to blow it up and kill myself, but I'm much more comfortable now. I do tend to stay in the vicinity, though...

cwolfman13

living in New Mexico, pinto beans are pretty much a staple. If your beans are "crunchy" then you're not cooking them long enough. You should soak them overnight and I cook mine for about 10 hrs on low in the crock pot. You also need to make sure you have enough liquid in there. I pretty much make beans every weekend for the following week. I soak them all day on Friday while I'm at work and cook them overnight in the crock pot.

I make charro beans...so I throw in my beans along with chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell pepper and usually some cilantro as well. For add'l flavor I often cook with chicken stock...if not and I'm just using water I usually throw in a pigs foot for flavor.

If you're just throwing some beans in some water and cooking them, they're going to be pretty bland...at minimum you're going to need add a good amount of salt.

dellalyn

I cook beans nearly every weekend and never soak them ahead of time. I just put the beans in a pot (that can go in the oven) and cover them with water or broth a few inches over the bean. Bring to a boil, then put in a 300 degree oven and let cook for a couple hours covered. Check them once in a while to make sure there is enough water in to cover them by an inch or so. I season them after they are cooked and add my veggies or whatever then as well mostly because I don't like mushy veggies.

When I do cook them stove top I find that if they are taking too long to re-hydrate, I just cover them and it works just fine. You want them to be simmering gently and not boiling

clsindc

Wow, these are all great ideas! My addition is that a pressure cooker is magic for cooking beans,and they are not expensive. I refused to bother with chickpeas for about 10 years after some disastrous efforts of trying to cook them years ago, but tried them recently in the pressure cooker and am now willing to add them into my regular rotation.

You can make a big batch of beans and freeze what you won't be using right away. It takes a time or two to get over the fear of blowing up the kitchen, but be calm and trust it. And hide in the next room until you hear the lid lock.

janniceverne

Instead of soaking overnight in plain water, I brine my beans overnight then cook in a low oven for an hour or two until they are done. The beans are always perfectly seasoned and have a creamy texture. Full instructions can be found here - http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/how-to-cook-dried-beans-lentils.html

astronaught

I make dried beans in my electronic pressure cooker. I just wash the beans fairly well and then put them in the pressure cooker at a 3 to 1 ratio of water to beans by volume and some salt. 30 minutes at high pressure and they are good to go. If I want them firm I do a quick pressure release after the 30 minutes is up. If I want them softer I let the high pressure cycle finish naturally, which takes another 30 minutes. No need to pre-soak the beans with this method.

tappae

I actually have found the secret for making delicious beans. It's a recipe I found that's actually called "delicious beans:"

http://crockingirls.com/recipes/delicious-beans/

The key is the bacon, brown sugar, garlic, cumin combination. It's actually pretty good even without the cumin.

danimalkeys

another vote for the pressure cooker, but you don't need one. Just follow the procedures everyone has already posted, soak, no salt til almost done. Use herbs/garlic/veggies to flavor them.

The reason canned beans seem to taste better is the added salt. I dont' like the texture of canned beans, they are mealy and soggy compared to properly cooked ones you make yourself.

OatFloats

1. Make sure they are fresh. If the expiration date is 1 year from the day you buy them, you can be sure of rock hard bean end-product.
2. Soak. Rinse.
3. Cook until tender. Add more water (unless you are cooking on low in a crock-pot) - as they start to get really tender they will soak up tons of water and can potentially burn.
4. Seasoning: along with all the other vegetables and spices mentioned, try bay leaves, oregano, and/or thyme. You might have to sauté them in oil if they weren't added in the beginning of step three.
5. Salt to taste.

kimmymayhall

I cook a lot of beans from dried. I've done it in a crock pot a couple times but prefer stovetop. I'll soak them overnight if I remember/have time but I often cook without soaking and they turn out fine.
If I'm cooking them plain to use in a recipe I just put the beans in a pot with enough water to cover the beans by an inch or so, bring to a boil with bay leaf, S&P, garlic, add dried peppers or flakes for spicy beans. Simmer with lid ajar for a couple hours until at the preferred texture, stir occasionally and make sure there is always enough water to cover. Drain when done.
If I make a pot of beans to eat as a meal I sautee onion, peppers and garlic. Add spices and a bit of smoked meat if I have it. I simmer that for 2-3 hours and use less water because I don't want to drain off all that flavorful broth. Take the lid off about 30 minutes before the beans are done so I can cook off some of the liquid if needed.
I have once or twice tried to make beans that never softened up and cooked well, I think they were just too old.
Lentils are easier and faster than beans, so stick with that for a bit if the beans are giving you problems.

fxg20

I cook beans in the slow cooker. If they are crunchy, you didn't wait long enough. I don't soak. I cover them in a couple inches of water and put it on high, 3-4 hours. Acid ingredients like tomatoes will slow the cooking. Taste the beans until they get to the right texture, but not too often because taking the lid off a crock pot releases heat and slows cooking, it's not an exact science. Really though, canned beans are just fine if you find that easier. The money can add up I guess but canned beans are still a pretty cheap thing to have in your diet.

sistrsprkl

I make lots of dried beans. Overnight soak in salt water (salt helps water enter the membrane of the bean, saw it on America's Test Kitchen). Then you just have to cook as long as it takes. Be sure to use fresh beans as stale ones either take forever to cook or don't cook at all. Good luck! I always add a lot of garlic and onion no matter what kind of dish I'm making, beans do need some help

FatAssBecky

Wow! Thanks for all the replies! I will definitely try some of the tips and pray. I love beans! They are the magical fruit.

chiccam

I agree with the poster who cooked with chicken stock instead of water. That right there will make a world of difference.