Nicole Is Cooking

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They’re good. (We will just leave it there.) They are low in fat and a fabulous source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. And they are cheap too, especially if you buy dried ones in bulk. And, by buying dried ones can also reduce the amount of sodium in them and they will taste a lot better overall. Trust me, it is worth cooking your own beans.

Which is just what I did one Saturday afternoon.

There are many methods out there for cooking dried beans- quick soak, long soak, slow cooker, pressure cooker. I am sure there are more. I used two different methods, a quick soak method and the slower cooker method Fantôme Chocolat filled me in on.

The quick cook method I used was from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I used this for some black beans and great northern beans. First, you need to rinse and pick through your beans to make sure there are no pebbles, miscellaneous items, or otherwise discolored beans in the batch.

Place the beans in a large pot and cover them with cold water so the water rises 2 to 3 inches above the beans.

Bring them to a boil and let them boil for 2 minutes. Cover the pot with a lid and turn off the heat. Allow the beans to soak for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, check the beans for tenderness. They should be tender, but not completely done. If they are tender, season the water with salt and pepper and make sure the water level is about 1 inch above the beans. If the beans are not tender and still seem a bit raw, do not add any salt and bring the water level to 2 inches above the beans.

Bring the beans to a boil again then reduce the heat so the beans bubble at a gentle simmer.

Partially cover the beans with the lid. Stir occasionally and check the beans for the desired consistency every 10-15 minutes. Add water if necessary and if you have not previously added salt, add it when the beans start to turn tender. When the beans reach the desired tenderness, turn off the heat and season to taste.

I also cooked a batch of pinto beans in the slow cooker. I started with the water level about 1 inch above the beans per Fantôme Chocolat’s instructions.

I turned the slow cooker on low and let them go. At about the same time the quick cook beans were at the end of their 2 hour rest, I checked the slow cooker beans. They were about the same tenderness but running low on water so I added a little more. In the end, they took about the same time as the stove top beans (just over 3 hours). However, you end up with less cooking liquid in the end so if you are going to freeze your beans you may need to add some water.

One 16 ounce bag of dried beans will yield 5-6 cups of cooked beans (the pintos were closer to 5 cups, while the black and great northerns were closer to the 6 cup yield). You can use them right away, keep them in the refrigerator for up to five days, or freeze them into portions to use later. When freezing, a small splash of white vinegar or lemon juice is supposed to help keep them intact. I find the great northerns still like to slip their skins no matter what though.

As much as I like black beans and love having black bean tacos or burritos for a quick meal when I am hungry, it is great to always have fresh cooked beans in the freezer. They really do taste better than the canned ones and for some longer cook recipes they really hold up a lot better. Enjoy!