Cooking dried beans?

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DevinT

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The web is all over the place on this one. Salt, no salt, soak, no soak, simmer, pressure cooker, IDK.

Canned pintos are pinkish, mine are brown. Mine always come out muddy.

Someone please help me.

Hoss
 
I soak overnight in salted water (I think the no-salt thing has been debunked, but I can't find the reference right now). I have used a pressure cooker, but if I have time I simmer for up to an hour, then change the water and rinse the beans, then I simmer again until tender, or at that point add to whatever stew/cassoulet etc. that I'm making.

I mostly cook Spanish giant Judion beans or French Tarbais beans.
 
You mentioned dried beans and canned. For dried beans I soak them in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely (maybe 1/2 inch above them)... But it depends what your going to make. I mainly make baked beans to go with my BBQ (great northern beans)
 
Large beans like black beans or pinto, I soak overnight in salted water. Drain, rinse, fill with fresh water and cook the next day. Always comes out great. The only beans I don't soak overnight are smaller ones like split pea.
 
I cook a lot of pinto beans. I make sure to get the latest year's harvest (easy because I'm in the middle of pinto bean country). I don't soak. I add 1.5 cups of pintos to a pressure cooker with a halved onion, a bay leaf, some cumin seed, salt, a few garlic cloves, and enough water to cover by two inches . Pressure cook on high for 25 min. Natural release. Store in the liquid.
 
I cook a lot of pinto beans. I make sure to get the latest year's harvest (easy because I'm in the middle of pinto bean country). I don't soak. I add 1.5 cups of pintos to a pressure cooker with a halved onion, a bay leaf, some cumin seed, salt, a few garlic cloves, and enough water to cover by two inches . Pressure cook on high for 25 min. Natural release. Store in the liquid.

Add some peppers and we're talking!
 
My understanding (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong) is that the primary purpose of starting with salt whether it’s soak or no soak is to keep the beans intact through the cooking process instead of turning to mush.
There’s some dishes where I want beans to “cream” so to speak so in those instances I wait till the end for salt.
But stuff like lentils I definitely salt at the beginning. Can’t stand lentil mush.
 
I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico and most people just cook them until done, really never soak. Take some pinto or black beans, say 2 cups, put in pot add 8 ups of water, an onion and salt. Cook uncovered until done (2-4 hours) depending on how old they are, add water as needed. That’s it. No fuss. If you are feeling fancy chuck in a chipotle. I’ve been doing it for years and they taste just like beans every time.
 
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I just soak overnight in water, drain and rinse, add water and bring to a rapid boil, add salt then cover and simmer two to three hours. I used to add onions but now just add some raw diced onions when I eat them.
 
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The salt is about osmotic pressure. Basically, water always moves from the lower salt concentration towards the higher salt concentration.

If the concentration of salt inside the beans is higher than that of the surrounding water, the surrounding water will diffuse into the beans due to osmotic pressure. If the concentration of salt in the surrounding water is higher than the concentration of salt inside the beans, water diffuses out of the beans instead.

Whether things get saltier when you put them into a salt solution depends on the membrane around them, and whether the pores of the membrane are small enough to prevent salt ions from moving across the membrane. For most foods, I believe the membrane isn't semipermeable, meaning that water and salt end up in the food (which is why brined foods also get saltier during brining).

For beans, my experience is that I get fewer burst/broken beans when I add salt to the soaking water as well as adding salt to the cooking water.
 
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I've had to cook allot of beans at different jobs over the years for kitchens.
especially here in Texas you have to have beans!
for big batches it's really not practical to soak 50lbs of beans overnight so normally we would rinse them really really well and do a quick short boil with salted water or stock to get them started. ideally you would get a chance to rest them for an hour and then really start the cooking process. the big thing that always works for me is controlling the salt in stages just because the liquid will reduce anyways and not adding any or too much acid till the beans get close to what you would like for texture. acidulating the beans too soon means that they really take forever to soften if at all.
the plus side of that is you can use that knowledge to control the consistency of the beans especially if you're doing a production batch and they're going to be reheated over the next couple days. I've never really played with pressure cookers just because it's not common in a commercial kitchen and I I like to be able to tweak them as they cook.
kind of like staging your spices when cooking chili. I'll do different spice drops and ingredient drops so everything didn't disappear in the mix....so to speak.
there nothing like a good pot of borracho beans though!!
 
When I boil beans it is almost always to end up with a stew. Adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe:

- soak them overnight with a little a bit of bicarbonate of soda (because of the gas issues)
- drain, cover with water and bring to boil, drain again
- repeate above 1 or 2 more times (because of the gas issues)
- Fill water again, add 1 halved onion, 2-3 carrots and a few dried sweet peppers.
- Cook until almost done, drain reserving some of the cooking liquid
- discard onion, scrape the flesh of the cooked peppers
- Saute onions, add ground sweet and chilli pepper, small part of the cooked beans, cooked peppers' flesh, cooked carrots and cooking liquid and mash to a rough puree. This is to thicken the stew.
- Season (this is the only time)
- add canned chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil
- combine with the rest of the cooked beans and some green herbs, usually spearmint or dill, in a oven/bbq safe dish
- cover with thin slices of tomatoes, chopped parsley and some olive oil
- finish in over/bbq, on bbq cook with the lid on on indirect heat

- Serve with baked in oven/bbq whole chilies tossed in olive oil/vinegair/garlic/parsley/dill/salt/sugar sauce and a good bread

Like below, sorry for the crappy plating. Meat balls are truely optional.
Good luck and Bon Apetit!
Beans.jpg
 

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I did not dive into the scientific aspects of cooking beans. I am just following hearsay advice and they work great for me.

I cook a lot beans as I really like them.

I always soak them over night, but not too long so that they do not start fermenting.

I never use salt, after all the comments I will try it. The saying in my country goes that you must always salt then at the end to avoid that they give you gases. I do this and it is working perfectly.

After soaking i rinse them very well. Then I put them to boil and after 5mins of boiling I discard the water, rinse them and I start over.
When I put it on for the second time I add Bay leaf, garlic and usually some smoked meat to give them full flavor. Depending what I am cooking.

Then I take care not to overcook them.
 
As a quasi vegetarian I eat beans several times a week. I typically do not soak lentils and split peas but I do soak garbanzos, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, Great Northern, etc. I am of the rinse first, then soak overnight with salt or sodium bicarbonate school to achieve fewer burst skins. The texture of canned beans is almost always inferior to starting from dried beans.
 
I am a plant-based/wholefood eater so beans are major part of my diet. That being said, you have to start with quality beans, i.e., Rancho Gordo Beans. The next important element of cooking good beans is the use of a dedicated clay bean pot. Before I got one I was skeptical, now I am a true disciple. The flavor enhancement is well worth the investment. Micaceous clay pots impart the best flavor but are pricey. I paid $300 for my last 5 qt. Rancho Gordo has a clay pot (not mica clay) that costs about $80; good starter pot. As for soaking, I never soak beans. I put them straight into the pot with homemade veggie broth and spices, bring to boil and then cook slowly until the desired texture is reached (no salt). Veggie broth is made from veggie scraps stored in a bag in the freezer until full. Then I throw them all in a large pot with water and simmer for a couple of hours; strain out the out the veggies and there you go. Works well in cooking rice as well. Can't believe I used to throw those scraps away!
 
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I am a plant-based/wholefood eater so beans are major part of my diet. That being said, you have to start with quality beans, i.e., Rancho Gordo Beans. The next important element of cooking good beans is the use of a dedicated clay bean pot. Before I got one I was skeptical, now I am a true disciple. The flavor enhancement is well worth the investment. Micaceous clay pots impart the best flavor but are pricey. I paid $300 for my last 5 qt. Rancho Gordo has a clay pot (not mica clay) that costs about $80; good starter pot. As for soaking, I never soak beans. I put them straight into the pot with homemade veggie broth and spices, bring to boil and then cook slowly until the desired texture is reached (no salt). Veggie broth is made from veggie scraps stored in a bag in the freezer until full. Then I throw them all in a large pot with water and simmer for a couple of hours; strain out the out the veggies and there you go. Works well in cooking rice as well. Can't believe I used to throw those scraps away!

Can you post a picture of this clay pot or some link to it?
 
Here's where I got mine. Unfortunately, Rhonda's taking some time off but if you're not in a hurry, her pots are well worth the wait. She apprenticed under one of the Apache masters and really makes some nice pieces. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MicaceousPottery

Here's another I found that has a couple in stock but I can't vouch for the product. http://www.onstottarts.com/

If you decide to buy, I'd buy nothing less than than a 4 qt, 5 qt is ideal for me; I can cook up to 2 lbs of beans in it. Expect to pay between $50 and $100 a qt if you are lucky enough to fine them. Rhonda was about $50 a qt. If you live around Santa Fe, NM they seem to have a lot in the shops there.

If you want to try a clay pot that is not made of micaceous clay at a more reasonable price go to Rancho Gordo Beans. I tried that one first before I got the micaceous pot and enjoyed outcome. Its a a bit on the small side but will accommodate 1 lbs of beans. https://www.ranchogordo.com/products/110-mixteca-pot

Warning: These micaceous pots are like the fine cutlery, once you get your toe in the water you may find yourself wanting to add to your collection.
 
Here's where I got mine. Unfortunately, Rhonda's taking some time off but if you're not in a hurry, her pots are well worth the wait. She apprenticed under one of the Apache masters and really makes some nice pieces. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MicaceousPottery

Here's another I found that has a couple in stock but I can't vouch for the product. http://www.onstottarts.com/

If you decide to buy, I'd buy nothing less than than a 4 qt, 5 qt is ideal for me; I can cook up to 2 lbs of beans in it. Expect to pay between $50 and $100 a qt if you are lucky enough to fine them. Rhonda was about $50 a qt. If you live around Santa Fe, NM they seem to have a lot in the shops there.

If you want to try a clay pot that is not made of micaceous clay at a more reasonable price go to Rancho Gordo Beans. I tried that one first before I got the micaceous pot and enjoyed outcome. Its a a bit on the small side but will accommodate 1 lbs of beans. https://www.ranchogordo.com/products/110-mixteca-pot

Warning: These micaceous pots are like the fine cutlery, once you get your toe in the water you may find yourself wanting to add to your collection.

Thanks for the extensive answer. Unfortunately I live in Europe so buying your suggestions would be prohibitively expensive. I will try to look for it over here if I get some decent prices.
And I absolutely agree with you that you need to go for big size. I usually cook 0.7 to 1 kg of beans at the time so you need some volume especially if you also put in some meat as I always do.

Tell me something, can you put it on gas stove to cook or it can only be used in an oven?
 
Thanks for the extensive answer. Unfortunately I live in Europe so buying your suggestions would be prohibitively expensive. I will try to look for it over here if I get some decent prices.
And I absolutely agree with you that you need to go for big size. I usually cook 0.7 to 1 kg of beans at the time so you need some volume especially if you also put in some meat as I always do.

Tell me something, can you put it on gas stove to cook or it can only be used in an oven?

You can use them on top of a gas stove or in the oven. The native indians used to cook with them by sitting them directly into an open fire. Good luck with your search!
 
Dont cook beans at all personally. But when I used to work at a Mexican Restuarant we would just simmer the pinto beans for a few hours until tender with some onion, garlic, salt and oil. We never soaked it, just gave it a quick rinse.
 
Interesting how many variations there are on cooking beans. I've seen a few which all yielded tasty results.

Mom used to sit us down (5 kids) and meter outs 2-3 Folgers cans worth in a pile for each of us at the kitchen table. We weren't allowed to get up until we had cleaned our pile of beans of any small rocks or "bad" beans. Cleaning 50 lbs of beans (25 kilos) in one afternoon, isn't this what having kids is for? Her method was to put a few cups of beans in a pot, cover with water, add a "dash" of salt and simmer at the back of our wood burning stove at a very low boil all day. She would add some "gisado" / roux to thicken the juice. She never had recipes, no time for recipes, but the food was always good.

I've had aunts who used a pressure cooker to good effect.

My method is to soak in water overnight, drain, rinse and transfer to a clay pot filling within 2-3 inches of the top with water. I add enough salt just to have a brine which is barely perceptible as salty. In my experience, the water reduces intensifying the salty flavor and adding too much salt at this stage will ruin my beans. I caramelize an onion, add 5-6 garlic cloves, 1-2 worth of dried Jalapeno slices from my garden last year, and some crumbled bacon if I have it. I transfer the clay pot to my Kamado joe set low and slow below 300F (or an indoor oven) and then ignore them for 6-8 hours. I know they are done when I take a bean out on a spoon and blow on it gently, then the skin peals back by itself.

Never got a bad review on my beans cooking them this way.......
 
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nice thread... I love these. I cook beans a lot cause I love em. Alway soak and rinse if old beans, kidney beans, large beans, or if they have a strong flavor that I wanna reduce. Soaking helps me check quality. I try to use spring water, filtered, or at least!!! dechlorinated.

Red lentils I do a light soak, rinse, and then cook with less water and some salt, so that I don't have to drain. Soybeans for miso paste, heavily soaked and then poached gently or even steamed. The gentler the heat, the more even, and the less motion, the better to produce the plumpest whole cooked beans. That's what I've found out. Salt is another story so I just use carefully.

If I cook my liquid down and want to use, I'm usually careful about its taste, so that's why low, slow, careful, simple. For me. Bump for adding water as you go.

But honestly I'm hungry for some Mexican style beans with the pork and garlic. Or how bout some bean jam anyone?
 

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