Everything to know about cooking dried beans at home.
The rest is up to you.
Lentils cook much quicker than the aforementioned beans and dont require pre-cooking.
Alison Conklin
How Old Are Your Beans?
For the most part, dry beans are best used within two years of harvest.
If the beans are past their prime, save them for pie weights and replace them with something fresher.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
Alternatively, look for local producers at your farmers market and ask them about harvest dates.
The best part about beans is that they are a relatively low maintenance and low cost nutritional powerhouse.
You dont need to overthink them.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
Should You Soak Your Beans?
The Internet debate on soaking will go on until the end of time.
Overnight soak, quick soak, or no soak at allthese are all hotly contended!
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
If that is a priority for you, then by all means soak away.
I tested both Great Northern Beans and garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
Ready to soak (or not)?!
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
See below for the scoop on each method.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap.
Leave overnight on the countertop.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
Drain, rinse, cook, and eat.
Option 2: Quick-Soaking Your Beans
What to do:Put beans in a pot.
Bring them to a boil.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
Remove from heat and let rest in the warm water for an hour depending upon the bean.
Option 3: Don’t Soak Your Beans
What to do:Put beans in a pot.
The latter is definitely better.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
This may be anywhere from half to three quarters of the way through the cooking process.
Adding Sugar to Beans?
If you want to make sweet beans, such asBoston Baked Beans, prepare yourself for the long haul.
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
Sugar, like salt, makes it difficult for the beans to soften.
They will eventually cook, but it can take five hours or better.
preserve your Cooking Liquid!
Simply Recipes / Alison Conklin
If you dont store the bean in their liquid save it anyway.
you could also reduce the liquid until it becomes Aquafaba (bean water).
Its ready when the consistency of the cooking liquid is similar to egg whites.
Alison Conklin
Then use it as an egg replacer in any number of recipes.Vegans have been doing it for years.
Place the beans in bowl.
Cover with 2 to 3 inches of water.
Alison Conklin
Cover and leave on the countertop until you are ready to cook them the following day.
Bring the beans up to a boil, then reduce the heat to gentle simmer.
Leave the pot uncovered and cook.
After about 40 minutes, check a bean to taste it.
If its firm, but tender, add 4 teaspoons of salt.
Give the pot a gentle stir.
Continue cooking until the beans are creamy, but intact, about another 20 to 50 minutes.
Simple Tip!
See total cooking time estimates in the headnotes above.
If serving immediately, drain the beans through a fine mesh sieve and place them in a bowl.
Season as desired (see the article above for suggestions) and serve.
