HELP!!! Rescue my dinner (Black Beans)

AZKristi

Okay, so, its 4pm and I am STILL trying to cook black beans. I let them soak over night (5pm until about 11am). Then, I rinsed them and put 2 cups of beans in a pot with 10 cups of fresh water. I brought them to a boil, then reduced to a simmer for 2 hours. They were still HARD. So, I brought them to a boil and have been boiling them for 2 hours and they are still not very soft.

Any ideas on what I can do to rescue them? I was going to make this recipe once they were soft: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/best-black-beans-recipe/index.html

But since it just basically simmers them for 10 minutes, I'm thinking they have to been super tender when I start. Suggestions welcome!

knapowell

Do you have a pressure cooker? If so, you can put them in there to finish them quickly.

AZKristi

Sadly, I do not have a pressure cooker. Someday I hope to!

vegancakelady

Oh dear! see this site, it might help. http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/blkbeantips.htm
I think the beans may be old. You need to make sure that when you buy dried beans you get them from a store that has a high turnover as sometimes they can stay on the shelf for years. ;-(

Ajaay

Did you salt them? Adding salt can keep them from getting tender. After 4 hours they should be done, but I guess keep simmering if they are not. Eventually they will soften. . .

bahacca

Do you have a crock pot? If so, put them in there. They probably won't be done for dinner, but will be fine for tomorrow. Just check them before you go to bed.

TheBakerGirl

According to this site (http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f20/black-beans-wont-soften-24207.html), they could be old or you boiled them with something acidic. I have no idea though!

I wonder what would happen if you put them in the microwave with some water… good luck my friend!

llamalland

I had this problem with black beans last week.... they don't seem to respond to soaking like other beans. I was going to use them in a Brazilian Black Bean Stew someone on mfp posted. I ended up letting the recipe simmer in the crock pot an extra day and did something else for dinner that night.

Could be the acid in the lime and tomatoes in your recipe would speed up the 'break down' process.... I also used some I had pre-soaked and frozen in chili a couple of days ago, and after my previous experience, brought them to a boil then let them sit in the hot water for about an hour before adding to the chili. That worked perfectly, they were just right.

fisherlassie

did you put anything but water in the pot? I believe that if you add salt or anything that is acid like tomatoes, vinegar or lemon, they won't get soft. If your beans are old they may take forever too.

rufflestx

I just buy the canned. Does anyone know if rinsing them thoroughly in clean water takes most of the salt out?

vegancakelady

As a tip for the future:
Soak whole pack of any beans overnight, cook (with nothing added to water), then divide into bags and freeze.
This way you always have beans to hand, ready to add straight into any recipe.

AZKristi

THanks all for the suggestions!

AZKristi

I used to buy canned as well, but recently read that the lining of tin cans contains BPA so I'm trying the fresh route. I like the freezing idea.