5 Ways to Cook
Beans to Perfection
Much of this was taken and adapted from:
Cooking Basic Beans in the Rancho Gordo
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There
is not one single method of cooking beans. At its most basic, you want to
simmer in water the pot of beans until they are soft. Soaking can speed up the
process and vegetables or stock will make them more flavorful. But it really is
that simple. There's all kinds of fine tuning and variables, but basically,
this is it.
Generally,
we put the beans to soak in the morning, after rinsing in lots of cool water
and checking for small debris. I cover the beans by a couple of inches or
so. If you haven't soaked, don't fret. Go ahead and cook them, knowing it
will just take a bit longer.
Heirloom
and heritage varieties don't need a lot of fussing if they are used fresh,
which we define as harvested within two years. You can use a ham bone, chicken
stock or as I prefer, simply a few savory vegetables. A classic mirepoix is a
mix of onion, celery and carrot diced fine and sautéed in olive oil. A crushed
clove of garlic doesn't hurt.
Stove Top Method
Add
the beans and their soaking water to a large pot. You have been told before to
change the water and rinse the beans. The thinking now is that vitamins and
flavor can leech out of the beans into the soaking water you are throwing down
the sink. There is conflicting scientific evidence that changing the water cuts
down on the gas. If you want to, do it. If it seems unnecessary, don't. I
usually don’t.
If
you've soaked them, the beans will have expanded, so make sure they are still covered
by at least an inch, maybe a bit more. Add the sautéed vegetables and give a
good stir. Raise your heat to medium high and bring to a hard boil. Keep the
beans at a boil for about ten to fifteen minutes. After so many years, I
think this is the moment that really matters. You have to give them a good hard
boil to let them know you're the boss and then reduce them to a gentle simmer,
before covering. I like to see how low I can go and still get the
occasional simmering bubble. Open and close the lid, or keep it ajar to help
control the heat and allow evaporation. The bean broth will be superior if it's
had a chance to breathe and evaporate a little.
When
the beans are almost ready, they won't smell so much like the vegetables you've
cooked but the beans themselves. At this point, I'd go ahead and salt them. Go
easy as it takes awhile for the beans to absorb the salt. If you want to add
tomatoes or acids like lime or vinegar, wait until the beans are cooked
through.
If
the bean water starts to get low, always add hot water from a teakettle. Many
believe that cold water added to cooking beans will harden them. At the very
least, it will make the cooking take that much longer to bring them back to a
simmer.
So
you're done! Once you've mastered this method, go ahead and try some different
techniques. Your bean friends will swear by this or that method and you should
take their advice, keeping in mind there are few absolutes when it comes to
cooking beans, only that it's very hard work to mess up a pot of beans.
Cooking beans in a crockpot
Sauté half
of a chopped onion in about one tablespoon of olive oil (or oil/fat of your
choice). Place in a crockpot along with any other aromatics you'd like (such as
Mexican oregano, garlic, bay leaf), followed by beans that have been picked
over and rinsed. Cover with water (about one part beans to three or four parts
water). Turn the heat to "high" and give the contents a stir. Do this
in the morning, and your beans should be done by the afternoon. Cooking time
will be 4-6 hours, depending on your crockpot and the variety of beans.
Cooking beans in a pressure cooker
First
consult the manufacturer's instructions for the exact method for your
model. Place cleaned beans in the pressure cooker and cover with three or four
parts water. Generally, you want to cook under pressure for at least 20
minutes, release, and then cook open on the stovetop for another 20 minutes
after you add some salt. In an Instant Pot Pressure cooker, simply hit the
chili/bean setting and let them go for 44 minutes (which is what the presetting
for ours does).
Oven Method
Cooking the beans by this method will cook them as fast as on the stove top and you won’t need to babysit them as much. It’s perfect for a cold winter day…a good way to warm the kitchen.
Cooking the beans by this method will cook them as fast as on the stove top and you won’t need to babysit them as much. It’s perfect for a cold winter day…a good way to warm the kitchen.
Preheat
the oven to 350 ° F. Add 2 cups of dried beans and 6 cups of water to a cast
iron Dutch oven or ceramic bean pot. Bring to a boil on the stovetop. Once the
water boils, let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes, then cover and place in the
oven. (Note: many ceramic pots do not tolerate
being used on a stovetop, if that is the case, boil beans in another pot and
then slowly add to the ceramic pot before putting your bean pot in the oven.) Cook
the beans 1 to 3 hours depending on size and age. Older and/or larger beans
will take longer to cook no matter what cooking method you use. Check the beans
every 45 minutes to see if they need more water and if they are tender.
Old beans - Some say beans can be too dry ever to soften. But we've
successfully cooked beans that are many YEARS old, and once you know the
tricks, the results are good. First soak the beans. The quickie soak isn't very
useful for OLD beans, so soak them overnight, 12 hours at least (even 2-3
days). If you’ve got a bucket of old beans, experiment to see how long a soak
is needed. Then, if you have reason to think they are going to be tough, bring
them to a boil, turn off the heat, ⅜ teaspoon of baking soda per each cup of beans
your started with (remember you started with 3-4 cups of water per cup of
beans). Then cover and let soak for about an hour. Then boil them as usual (15
minutes hard boil then turn heat down to a gentle simmer for 2-3 hours until
beans are soft.). IF they are still too grainy, hard, and crumbly, then pull
them out, and pressure-cook them (put some of the spices, except salt) in the
pressure cooker to impose flavor on them. Could be 15 minutes more, 30 minutes,
or even an hour. Eventually you get soft, even tasty, beans. Honest!
Store
your beans in a cool, dark place. It is fine to keep your beans in their
packaging, although some prefer to transfer them to a glass jar with an
airtight lid. After 2 years the quality
may begin to decline, but they will still be healthy for many years to come.
So
there you have it. The magic of cooking a perfect pot of beans. Many of us were
raised on beans and coming back to them is comforting as well as delicious.
Slow your life down so that you can actually cook a pot of beans and discover
the expansive world of heirloom beans. I invite you to jump in and make beans a
major staple of your diet as you plan and prepare for a long and healthy life.
Blessings,
Dr
Kyle Christensen
January
2018