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If you have
never cooked beans before, try some of these easy bean recipes
Do you shy away from bean recipes because you don't know how to cook
beans? Did you try to cook beans once but they never got soft? It is
not
hard to cook beans. There are only a few basic things you need to know.
Bean Basics
You need to sort through dry beans before you cook
them. We use a baking sheet. Spread one
handful of beans out on the sheet and look closely for for rocks, dirt,
and discolored beans. Remove any inedible stuff.
Transfer the clean
beans to a strainer. Repeat, sorting one handful of beans at a
time, until
you have
the quantity you need. Rinse the beans.
Because beans are dry, they need to cook in lots of water
to rehydrate properly. The water level in your pot should be
2" above the beans. This is about 3 - 4 cups of water per cup
of dry beans. Once the beans are clean and covered with water, you have
three
different options for cooking:
- Soak the beans for 8 hours. Drain and add fresh
water. Then cook on top of the
stove, in the oven (covered), in a
crockpot, or in a pressure cooker.
- Boil the beans for 2 minutes, cover and let sit
for an
hour. This is called a
quick soak. Drain and add fresh
water. Then cook on top of the
stove, in the oven (covered), in a
crockpot, or in a pressure cooker.
- Don't soak the beans at all. We often cook
unsoaked beans
in a crockpot on high. They get done in 4 to 7 hours, depending on the type of
bean. You can cook unsoaked beans in a pressure cooker in less than
an hour. However, the rapid high pressure cooking may break the skins
and make the beans less attractive.
When beans are done, they should be soft enough that you can mash them
against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. "Firm" beans are not
finished cooking. They are hard to digest and they don't have a good
flavor.
Problems cooking beans
If you add salt or any acidic foods to beans as they cook, they will
take a very long time to become soft. In fact,
they may never
become soft no matter how long you cook them. Some typical acidic
ingredients that you find in bean recipes are tomatoes, vinegar, lemon
juice, and
molasses.
It is easiest to cook beans in plain water,
without any seasonings or other ingredients. While they are cooking,
you can chop and water-saute whatever vegetables and seasonings you
want to add.
When the beans are soft, drain off some or all of the cooking liquid.
Add the beans to your vegetable and seasoning mix. Simmer for 15
minutes to blend flavors.
If
you want to cook beans in a pressure cooker, do not fill the cooker
more than half full. At the end of the cooking time, don't release the
pressure rapidly. Let it come down naturally so the skins of
the beans stay intact.
Beans in a hurry
 You can use canned beans in many bean recipes. Rinse the beans to
remove excess
salt. Better yet, buy salt-free beans. We always keep a few cans of
beans on hand for quick meals. One 15-oz can of beans contains
about 8 oz of beans after they are drained.
Home-cooked beans cost quite a bit less than canned beans and they
freeze well. We cook big batches of beans in our 6 quart
crockpot. We drain and
cool them a little, then freeze them in 16-oz portions in
ziploc bags.
Bean recipes
Vegetarian Chili Recipe. Jerry created this chili for a chili cookoff on
Super Bowl Sunday. He didn't win the cookoff, but many of our friends
loved the chili and asked for the recipe.
Black Bean Burgers. Spicy
and flavorful, these are as good as any commercial veggie burger. Plus,
they are low in sodium and cost only pennies to make.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers. This recipe is so easy, yet it turns out to be a beautiful gourmet meal fit for company. You will love it.
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