Cooking beans

[Guest guest]

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and they

are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i suppose to

use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed pinto,navy,black eyed and

split peas in which i do not even see in the beans any more ok i hope you can

help I'm frustrated..Thanks guys

[Guest guest]

You say that you " put the beans on at 11 am " .......exactly what does that

mean? What method are you using? Do you soak them overnight or use the quick

soak method where you bring the beans to a boil, boil for 3 minutes and then let

set for an hour and then simmer till done? What kind of beans are you

cooking? Some beans take longer than others but I have not in 44 years of

cooking dried beans ever had to cook beans longer than 3 hours (total) for them

to be done.

 

I cooked a pot of pinto beans today but the cooking method I have started

using since I bought my 1950 Chambers gas range (cooking the beans in the

Thermowell, which is a deep cooking well) in 2001, is different from standard

stove top cooking. After picking and washing the beans, I put the beans in

the 7 qt. Thermowell pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Add a teaspoon of

sugar and bring to a boil. Then I cook them for 20 minutes in the Thermowell,

with the gas burning (lid clamped down on the pot).....then turn off the gas,

put the lid on the Thermowell and turn off the gas and the beans cook on

retained heat (with the gas turned off) for 2 hours. About 20 minutes before

the 2 hours is up, I cook a large, chopped onion and a large clove of

minced garlic in some olive oil until soft and open a 14 ounce can of diced

tomatoes. Then when the 2 hours are up, I take the pot out of the Thermowell,

unclamp the lid, add the onions, garlic and tomatoes....then some black pepper,

dried parsley, dried thyme and a pinch of celery seeds and about 2 teaspoons of

chili powder.....at this point, if needed, I add a little more water. Then

cook for 10 minutes, with the lid clamped down, with the gas on and then turn

the gas off again, put the lid on the Thermowell and turn the gas off and let

them cook another hour or for as long as necessary until dinner.

 

When you cook in a Chambers range, on retained heat, timing is not important

as the food cannot burn when there is no active flame under the pot but it is

cooking in a heated Thermowell and cooking with no gas. The instruction

manual/cookbook that came with the Chambers ranges are called... " The Idle Hour

Cookbook...Cooking With The Gas Turned Off " and that is litterally what you can

do.....cook for a perscribed lenght of time WITH the gas turned on and then turn

it off to finish cooking.

 

You can start these beans out in the morning, adding all of the extra

ingredients, if you wish, cook for 20 minutes with the gas, turn the gas off,

leave the house and come home to perfectly cooked beans. The beans I cooked

today were don't from dry, unsoaked beans to perfection, cooking for the most

part with the gas turned off, in a little over 3 hours. And, I usually add any

salt to the recipe right before serving.

 

Here is a website on cooking different kinds of beans and different methods of

cooking beans that might be of some help to you. Good luck.

 

 

http://www.centralbean.com/cooking.html#Basic

 

Nancy C.

(Mother of 7 grown children ages 19 to 44 and 13 grandchildren ages 4 months

to 15 years and who has been cooking since Hector was a pup.)

East Texas

 

 

 

 

 

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and they

are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i suppose to

use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed pinto,navy,black eyed and

split peas in which i do not even see in the beans any more ok i hope you can

help I'm frustrated..Thanks guys

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Did you pre-soak?  I cook pintos all the time and doing a fast pre-soak (beans

and water [and a little anise seed for the gas] bring to a boil,cover and let

sit for an hour.  Completely change water and cook, usually 2-3 hours).

Pamela

 

--- On Wed, 1/20/10, stephanniewilson <stephanniewilson wrote:

 

stephanniewilson <stephanniewilson

[veg_grp] Cooking beans

 

Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 8:10 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and

they are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i suppose

to use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed pinto,navy,black eyed

and split peas in which i do not even see in the beans any more ok i hope you

can help I'm frustrated.. Thanks guys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

soak them overnight in cold water. Then in the morning add 1 cup of water to

beans to boil. Stir occassionally. They should be ready by 6 pm. If you don't

want to do that.. buy bushes canned navy beans drain, and then add whatever you

want to it.

 

 

 

 

________________________________

stephanniewilson <stephanniewilson

 

Wed, January 20, 2010 10:10:24 PM

[veg_grp] Cooking beans

 

 

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and they

are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i suppose to

use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed pinto,navy,black eyed and

split peas in which i do not even see in the beans any more ok i hope you can

help I'm frustrated.. Thanks guys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

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]

Was there salt in the pot? Or any acids, like tomatoes? Either of these will

prevent the beans from cooking. If the beans were old, this may also prevent

them from cooking properly.

 

 

 

 

________________________________

stephanniewilson <stsephanniewilson

 

Wed, January 20, 2010 10:10:24 PM

[veg_grp] Cooking beans

 

 

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and they

are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i suppose to

use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed pinto,navy,black eyed and

split peas in which i do not even see in the beans any more ok i hope you can

help I'm frustrated.. Thanks guys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Altitude plays a big part in how the beans cook.

I live at a very high altitude in Colorado, and if I didn't pre-soak beans

overnight, they would never get done.

 

Freshness is important also. If possible purchase locally grown beans.

Sort, clean and wash beans before putting them to soak. The *quick soak* does

not work at my altitude.

 

Bring the beans to a full boil and then reduce heat and *simmer* for the

remaining cooking time. Boiling beans for a long time often makes them mushy or

lose their *skins* and remain hard inside.

 

Beans are different in texture and freshness so it's *NOT* always a good idea to

mix them. If you want to make a mixed bean soup you might try freezing a small

container of one type and then add when you cook another kind.

 

I never add anything to the bean's when soaking or cooking, especially salt and

tomatoes. Both can affect cooking time and texture.

Add herbs and spices,in the last half hour of cooking.

Onions, garlic and chilis should be roasted or sauteed before adding.

 

Slow cookers/crock pots are a great way to cook beans.

 

Deanna in Colorado

***************************************************************

" stephanniewilson " <stephanniewilson wrote:

(((> Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and

they are not soft..)))

[Guest guest]

Soaking beans for " a couple " days is not safe. A good place for bacteria to

grow. That is why most people soak beans in cold water over night and cook them

the next day.

 

Your " old " dried beans would be safe to eat but they do lose their flavor.

 

A better way to store beans is to immediately remove the beans from the *not so

safe* plastic package and place them in a glass jar. They will stay fresh longer

and not absorb any of the chemicals in the plastic.

 

Store your jars of beans in a cool dark place.

 

I have a friend who is an expert at cooking beans and she tells me that she

rinses beans at least three times before soaking. She then tosses the soaking

water and simmers the beans in fresh water. She claims that the beans will then

not cause gas.

 

One thing I love about this group is that everyone can share cooking

experiences, whether they are successs or failures.

 

Sending smiles and hugs your way

Deanna in Colorado

also at recycled_gardens

*******************************************************

((( stephannie brown <stephanniewilson wrote:

> 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...)))

[Guest guest]

First: make sure you do not add salt and that your water is not salty!

Salt prevents beans from softening.

 

 

 

Second: you may mix the beans but they should be put in a pot covered by

water and allowed to soak a minimum of 2 hours to 8 hours

 

 

 

Third: Drain soaked beans, add fresh water and cook by bringing to a boil,

then lowering heat and simmering for 2 to 4 hours, depending on the type of

beans. Lentils will cook in an hour, but garbanzos take three to four

hours.

 

 

 

Add salt after the beans have cooked.

 

 

 

I have made 12 - 16 bean soups this way without a problem. If I have harder

beans in the mix, I cook for three to four hours, if they are all softer

beans I usually cook for two hours.

 

But if you have salt in your water, you can cook those beans for days and

they will never soften.

 

 

 

Ligtstar

 

 

Ok i did it again i put the beans on at 11a. and now it's almost 11p. and

they are not soft like mom used to make what am i doing wrong and was i

suppose to use oil and was i not suppose to mix the beans i mixed

pinto,navy,black eyed and split peas in which i do not even see in the beans

any more ok i hope you can help I'm frustrated.. Thanks guys

 

 

[Guest guest]

Howdy!

 

Can someone explain why beans are supposed to be soaked. I have never soaked a

bean in my life and we cook dried beans (adzuki, pintos, black, kidney, butter

etc) every week.

 

I do saute them a little with whatever happy things are already in the pot-

onions, garlic, peppers, herbs, but then I add water and just cook.

 

The longest time that I can recall it taking for our beans to cook was about

three hours. Is soaking supposed to shorten the cooking time?

 

Thank you for your insights.

Andrea

 

, mommy <taximommyto9 wrote:

>

> soak them overnight in cold water. Then in the morning add 1 cup of water to

beans to boil. Stir occassionally. They should be ready by 6 pm. If you don't

want to do that.. buy bushes canned navy beans drain, and then add whatever you

want to it.

[Guest guest]

Stephanie....Try our instructions for our 8-bean soup (pinto, black, red,

Anasazi, Great Northern white, black-eyed peas, split peas, baby limas).

 

1) Rinse & sort beans.

 

2) Cover with water & soak overnight; OR bring to a boil for 5 minutes, remove

from heat, cover & let rest for 1 hour.

 

3) Drain, rinse & return beans to pot. Add water to just above level of beans.

 

4) Bring to a boil, cover & simmer approximately 1-1/2 hours or until nearly

tender.

 

5) Add seasoning and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. Check

occasionally to determine if more water is needed, thinning to desired

consistency.