Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 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 > _________ Messenger - Communicate instantly... " Ping " your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger./download/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 I'd guess the canned ones have more salt. My suggestion to make them taste more liked canned is to add salt. Yvonne > > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.552 / Virus Database: 344 - Release 12/15/2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 --- 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. _________ Messenger - Communicate instantly... " Ping " your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger./download/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 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 Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 17, 2009 Report Share Posted August 17, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 If they are not going to be used within a couple of months, they should go in the freezer. ________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 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/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 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/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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