cooking dried beans

[Guest guest]

I've always found cooking beans from dried is much

tastier than canned beans.

 

How are you cooking the beans?

 

--- Persian <persian13 wrote: > HI all

>

> I am wondering if anyone knows why tinned beans

> always taste better than the

> dried beans I cook myself. Such as navy, pinto,

> kidney and cannelini.

>

> I soak them for about 24 hours changing the water a

> couple of times and then

> cook them, but I don't add salt, as I read it makes

> them tough. I dont add

> anything at all. What can I add, and when, to make

> them nice like tinned beans?

>

> thanks in advance

> Persian

>

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I'd guess the canned ones have more salt.

 

My suggestion to make them taste more liked canned is to add salt.

 

Yvonne

 

>

>

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[Guest guest]

--- Persian <persian13 wrote: > HI Mr

Falafel!

>

> I used to 'see' you a lot on usenet!

>

> On Thu, Mar 25, 2004 at 09:22:24 +0000, MrFalafel

> wrote:

> >

> > How are you cooking the beans?

> >

>

> After 24 hour soaking I boil them till done.

> The other day at the end of cooking them I added a

> few dried herbs

> but I couldn't tell a difference.

>

> What's the best way to make tasty cooked beans? I

> don't mean

> a dish with them in. I just find the plain beans

> from the tin much

> nicer and my dried cooked ones very bland.

>

> thanks a lot

> Persian

>

 

Hiya!

 

When I cook pinto beans, I soak them overnight (no

need to change the water during soaking) and then

drain the following morning. I then put the beans in a

pot and cover with fresh water. I then bring to a

boil, let them boil for 10 minutes and then turn the

heat down to a simmer. I then add a bay leaf. I'll let

this simmer for a good hour or more, adding more water

if necessary.

 

If you want to make the beans less bland, then do what

the other poster said and add salt once the beans are

cooked. Many brands of tinned beans contain salt,

sugar or even citric acid or other preservatives that

affect the taste. That could be what you are missing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Persian,

Cooking beans in a crockpot is very simple too. But you can do this in a regular kettle as well. I only soak my beans over night. Put them in water right before I go to bed, and put them in the crockpot as soon as I get up. I find that 8 hours allows them to absorb the flavors of the spices better, than soaking them for 24 hours.

But for pinto beans, I use liquid smoke, or fake bacon. That helps to give them the "right" flavor, IMO. I also use about a tsp/lbs, of italian salad dressing, garlic, onions, and chili powder. They seem to not be so bland that way. You can do all this in the kettle, just soak the beans as soon as you get up in the morning, until you are ready to cook them. You can also use these seasonings for black beans, pink beans, and kidney beans(just omit the salad dressing, and use creole or cajun seasoning).

Melanie

Persian <persian13 wrote: HI Mr Falafel!I used to 'see' you a lot on usenet!On Thu, Mar 25, 2004 at 09:22:24 +0000, MrFalafel wrote:> > How are you cooking the beans? > After 24 hour soaking I boil them till done.The other day at the end of cooking them I added a few dried herbsbut I couldn't tell a difference.What's the best way to make tasty cooked beans? I don't meana dish with them in. I just find the plain beans from the tin muchnicer and my dried cooked ones very bland.thanks a lotPersian

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[Guest guest]

Persian,

LOL! I really dislike the way my mail sends the messages, I get them backwards, so here I go again. Hehehe.

I never change the water, but of course I don't soak them for more than 8 hours. I do not, however, cook them in the water I soaked them in. But I do use salt, just about a tsp/lbs. My mom swears for pinto beans, if you use about a tbsp/lbs, of sugar, it brings out the tastes more. That would probably work for red beans and black beans as well.

For navy beans and great northern beans, I use half water, half vegetable stock in them, an onion, and some poultry seasoning. Depending on what I have planned for them, I may or may not use the liquid smoke. I will use the liquid smoke if I am going to use them for baked beans, or something similiar. You can add anything you want to these beans, and they always seem to come out good!! Sometimes with these beans, I will slice up a bell pepper(big enough so I can get it out later) and place it in there with the beans. I also use bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper in them.

I find the problem with canned beans is that they have soooooo much sodium, but if you drain and rinse them very well, you can get rid of some of that sodium, if you prefer then canned beans more.

Good luck!

Melanie

Persian <persian13 wrote: HI allI am wondering if anyone knows why tinned beans always taste better than thedried beans I cook myself. Such as navy, pinto, kidney and cannelini.I soak them for about 24 hours changing the water a couple of times and thencook them, but I don't add salt, as I read it makes them tough. I dont addanything at all. What can I add, and when, to make them nice like tinned beans?thanks in advancePersian

Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time.

[Guest guest]

HI all

 

I am wondering if anyone knows why tinned beans always taste better than the

dried beans I cook myself. Such as navy, pinto, kidney and cannelini.

 

I soak them for about 24 hours changing the water a couple of times and then

cook them, but I don't add salt, as I read it makes them tough. I dont add

anything at all. What can I add, and when, to make them nice like tinned beans?

 

thanks in advance

Persian

[Guest guest]

HI Mr Falafel!

 

I used to 'see' you a lot on usenet!

 

On Thu, Mar 25, 2004 at 09:22:24 +0000, MrFalafel wrote:

>

> How are you cooking the beans?

>

 

After 24 hour soaking I boil them till done.

The other day at the end of cooking them I added a few dried herbs

but I couldn't tell a difference.

 

What's the best way to make tasty cooked beans? I don't mean

a dish with them in. I just find the plain beans from the tin much

nicer and my dried cooked ones very bland.

 

thanks a lot

Persian

[Guest guest]

Raw beans do need to be partially cooked before adding salty or acidic

ingredients to fully soften. I too have learned the hard way by neglecting

this step!

 

After soaking, I cook them in plain water for an hour and a half. I skim

off all the gunk in the first 10 minutes of boiling, then let them simmer

for the rest of that time.

 

Even though that seems like a long time to cook them without the other

ingredients, trial-and-error has convinced me that the recipe turns out well

by adding everything else at that point.

 

The split pulses like orange lentils and small whole ones like rice beans

may not need such a long pre-cook. I find that orange lentils soften fully

in about 20 minutes.

 

Deborah

 

Does the acid of the pineapple not inhibit the beans from being able to cook

thoroughly? Or do you cook the beans and then add it? I've ruined a batch of

chili before putting the acidic tomato sauce in with the beans.

 

Sally

 

On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 11:33 PM, bea pix <beapix wrote:

> >When you cook beans, either incorporate pineapple into the recipe or

> >serve it as a dessert. Pineapple contains a natural enzyme that

> >prevents fermentation in the GI tract and releaves the discomfort

> >associated with beans experienced by many.

> >

> >For example when I am making 3 bean chili, I always use crushed

> >pineapple in the recipe and it simmers into the chili as it cooks all

> >day. I never serve beans without pineapple now or I greatly regret it

> >since I have 4 " men " in my house who become very musical. :-)

> >

> >I learned about pineapple from an old mennonite

> >cookbook my grandmother gave me.

> >

> >BL

[Guest guest]

If they are not going to be used within a couple of months, they should go in

the freezer.

 

 

 

 

________________________________

[Guest guest]

Stephannie.......

Four year old beans just might be beyond help. I have never tried to cook

dried beans that old. They don't last that long around here. Where do you

live? Higher altitudes do affect the cooking of many foods but if you soaked

them for 4 days and then cooked them for 12 hours and they didn't get soft, I

just don't have an answer for you.

 

I once baked a cake in Aspen, Colorado and first called their Chamber of

Commerce to find out the altitude then called General Mills to find out about

how long to bake it. Turned out great but it did take me longer. I would

imagine that learning to bake at 7,000 feet (or higher) takes some getting used

to if you have been a " flat-lander " all of your cooking life. My hat is off to

those high altitude bakers!

 

I have to agree with Deanna about adding ingredients during the last part of

the cooking time.....except onions, I always add them at the beginning of the

cooking time and they do not affect the cooking time what-so-ever. And,

different kinds of beans do require different cooking times but, my bean soup

recipe (that is made from a combination of 7 kinds of dried beans mixed together

before cooking, all seem to be ready at the same time.

 

Buy some new beans and try again.......and good luck.

 

Nancy C.

East Texas

 

 

 

yes i did pre-soak for a couple of days so that they would be soft any way

someone told me i had my beans to long before i decided to cook them maybe

that's the reason why they aren't getting soft ok i had several bags of beans

for over 4yrs i though those types of beans didn't go bad anyway is this really

the case. Thank you

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I looked on the Bean Council website for more recipes and found their suggestion

to add a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the cooking water after a

long soak. Some beans (like my favorite pintos) take the full 12 hours soaking

in the fridge.

 

Salt and tomatoes cause them to not fully soften - go figure.

 

According to BYU, dried beans  properly stored can last upwards of 30 years, so

the older beans in the grocery store should cook up after washing and that long,

12 hour soak.

 

I'll look for my links for the BYU and Bean Council sites when I get home from

the doctor.

 

Jeanne in GA

http://jeannefromgeorgia.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I cook beans that are old and I never have a problem. I don't add salt of

tomatoes. I add garlic and onions and season when done.

Never soak more for days, this is dangerous.

 

Isis

[Guest guest]

I hardly ever soak beans overnight and as I posted yesterday when I posted the

Chambers range Thermowell cooking method, they always cook perfectly soft within

3 1/2 to 4 hours without any kind of pre-soak and cooking on retained heat for

most of that time.

 

I had heard about adding baking soda to cooking beans to make them cook faster

but my mother told me that adding soda destroys B vitamins (and she passed away

in 1984, so this information is not new). I have read in several " health " food

type cookbooks that adding soda is not the best way to go and here is what I

found on the internet about it on this website:

http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/bakingsoda.htm

 

Baking Soda and Dried Beans?

Back to the Dried Beans Menu

 

There are many old wives tales surrounding the use of baking soda in

soaking or cooking dried beans. Many older recipes call for baking soda, touting

all kinds of benefits from eliminating gas, retaining color, speeding cooking or

softening beans by increasing the alkalinity. Deposits all the old-time claims,

there is no scientific proved benefit to adding baking soda. It will, however,

leave the beans with a slightly slimy mouth-feel and a soapy aftertaste.

 

 

 

BAKING SODA (SODIUM BICARBONATE)

Modern cooking methods avoid the use of baking soda

because it destroys pepsin and interferes with your digestion. Baking soda

destroys important nutrients and vitamins, and even as little as 1/8 teaspoon

per cup of beans may destroy thiamine (Vitamin B1).

 

 

 

And, this website: http://www.centralbean.com/storeandsoak.html

has this to say about soaking beans:

 

Long-soaking takes time and some advance planning, but needs very

little effort. First, cover the beans with water at room temperature. Soak

them overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Keep the beans covered by water while

soaking. Be sure the soak water is at room temperature. Hot water may cause

the beans to sour. Cold water slows rehydration and the beans will take longer

to cook

 

If there is anyone who really likes pinto beans, they should try

Anasazi beans. They are sweeter than pintos, and cook faster. I have three

cookbooks that are strictly bean cookbooks. I will post what copy of " From the

QUEEN'S KITCHEN...A Collection of

Pinto Bean Recipes and more...from Cortez, Colorado " says about

Anasazi beans. I got this cookbook in 1995 when we went through Cortez on

vacation.

 

Nancy C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

 

 

I looked on the Bean Council website for more recipes and found their

suggestion to add a little bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to the cooking

water after a long soak. Some beans (like my favorite pintos) take the full 12

hours soaking in the fridge.

 

Salt and tomatoes cause them to not fully soften - go figure.

 

According to BYU, dried beans properly stored can last upwards of 30 years,

so the older beans in the grocery store should cook up after washing and that

long, 12 hour soak.

 

I'll look for my links for the BYU and Bean Council sites when I get home from

the doctor.

 

Jeanne in GA

http://jeannefromgeorgia.blogspot.com/