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I was always kind of afraid of dealing with beans but it’s made out to be harder than it is. A can of beans is now approaching $1 US, and I use them quite frequently in soups and chili, etc. Well, a pound of dry beans also costs around $1 US (or $2 US, depending on make and model) - but a pound of dry beans makes roughly about 6 cans’ worth of beans. From a cost perspective, it’s a no-brainer.
Pictured: my favorite, Navy beans, which have an almost ham-like flavor to them - and they’re the cheapest, about $1.29/lb by me at the blue box, I’m sure you could get them cheaper at bulk stores.
Beans need to be kept in the fridge and will go bad if you don’t use them in less than a week unless you use salt, so I do. With salt, they keep for up to two weeks, maybe more, I couldn’t really say because I use them (also they taste better with salt, obviously).
Easy to make, too. They tell you to meticulously look for rocks, I just don’t have time for that. Never ran into one yet. I fill a medium pan with 3-4 cups of water, 1/2 Tbs kosher salt and 1/2 lb (~225g) beans sometime before I go to bed. In the morning, I turn the burner on high until it boils (~7 minutes - be careful, it will boil over) and then turn to lowest setting, put a lid on (slightly cocked) and let them simmer for 2 hours. After that, drain them in a colander and run cold water on them until they lose their heat, put them in a container and into the fridge until you need them in soup or chili or whatever.
Worried that beans can be toxic because you heard that somewhere? That’s only bigger beans like Kidney beans and in any case the cooking is what kills the toxicity (boiling for >30m). Small beans like navy beans and red beans you don’t have to sweat it at all. In theory you should also drain/replace the water after the soaking to eliminate flatulence-inducing saccharides. I just don’t and honestly can’t tell any difference, but you may be more or less sensitive than I am.
Enjoy your beans!
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You guys know the difference between a Garbanzo bean and a chick pea, right?!?
Garbanzo beans for life!
Garbanzo with peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce over rice 😩
That sounds good af, I might try that
Here in Greece we use to cook beans a lot as a soup. I have tried canned beans, I like them, but nothing close to the cooked one.
The ones I make have onion, garlic, tomatoes and of course beans. The only thing is I have to put them in water overnight.
That looks and sounds great! I use navy beans in my seven vegetable soup.
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I don’t know how to factor in the water and energy costs to cook and cleanup, but at this scale I think it’s significant.
Overnight Soak for Beans: Soaking your beans overnight is the most traditional method, and it yields the best results. It allows you to cook beans on the stove quickly without sacrificing flavor or texture. To soak beans overnight, put the beans in a pot and cover with water by about two inches. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt per pound of beans and allow them to soak for 4 to 12 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.
Short Soak for Beans: If you didn’t plan ahead to soak your beans overnight, don’t fret. You can still get similar results using this quick soak method. To start, put the beans in a pot on the stove and cover with water by two inches. Add salt and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.
I also add half a yellow onion to my beans while they cook.
A lot of people use a pressure cooker to significantly reduce the cooking time and energy cost. However, that obviously requires a pressure cooker/instant pot, and being comfortable using one.
It’s not.
Instant Pot is a game changer. No need to soak overnight anymore. Just drop em in for the recommended pressure cooking settings, give it time to dissipate the pressure naturally (for easier cleanup), and you’re good to go.
I like to match beans and grains that have the same or close to the same cooking time, and make a bunch at once. Bam, easy base for a wide variety of meals for up to a week. This was a life saver when I was doing 10 hour shift factory work. My getting ready for bed routine involved making a coffee/tea mix because I like my caffeine to be ready to drink as soon as I wake up. I would also load a 36 oz leak-proof lunch container with soy curls on the bottom, add some spices and water, pile some Instant Pot gains and beans on top of that, a layer of fozen veggies, and then top it all with whatever sauces or condiments I was craving. Then just heat it up in the microwave at work.
Each batch would last about a week, so including other meals, I would only have to do any cooking 1-3 times a week. Both more easy and convenient, and far less expensive than eating out all the time.
Pressure cooking beans has changed the way I stock my pantry. I go one step further and freeze portions in bags, then just pull them out and thaw whenever I need beans for a recipe. Let’s me keep some ready to use beans on hand at all times.
Ohhh, great idea. I need to do this.
This is outstanding advice, because most people don’t eat nearly enough fiber. Ya. Its poverty food. It’s also magic that will make your guts work correctly and possibly save your life.
I boil up a batch of beans/rice/quinoa or some combination every week. I cook enough to be an ingredient or side for several meals. I don’t heavily flavor it, and cook to avoid much sauce, so its more flexible to use. There’s always a stock container of beans or rice in my fridge. It may take you a few batches to get good at cooking these things from scratch, but its pretty simple stuff.
Ya folks. Wash your food.
This most especially applies to brown and wild rice, which has natural arsenic. Rice may well be the primary or only source of arsenic in your life. Really, if you don’t already know, you should learn and stop eating arsenic.
And quinoa. If you eat quinoa, you probly already know this. But quinoa has a chemical called saponin until its washed.
But ANYTHING that comes from a factory and passed through innumerable hands, yes you should wash it before you eat it. Pesticides. Chemicals. Germs and dirt.Washing beans, rice, quinoa is pretty easy. Put it in a bowl with water. Stir it. Let it sit a bit.
Stir it again, and pour the water off the top.
(I use a strainer, but that is not necessary if you get good at this.)
Do this seven times. If there was any clouding in the water, there won’t be by the seventh repeat.
I usually let it go on about an hour or so, I’m also soaking the product while washing it.Damn. Avoid brown rice? That sucks!
That article makes me want to avoid rice altogether, despite loving it so much.
It doesn’t say anything about soaking rice in cold water for a while and then washing it before cooking in fresh water. Does cold water not have any ability to absorb the arsenic? I wonder if distilled water could help….
I eat rice frequently. I like wild and black rice, which has some of the highest arsenic ratings.
There are various ways to wash it. The washing method I detailed takes requires only a bowl, very traditional, but there’s various other methods.
Arsenic is water soluble. Washing rice will remove a good bit of the poison.
All beans and similar dried protein-rich stuff really need is time - both to soak and to cook. Otherwise they’re super easy.
Ok here’s the thing, I fucking hate beans, BUT I’m wondering if that’s because “canned beans.”
What’s the texture on the fresh bois? Are they as mushy as canned or do they actually have some substance to them?
I hate eating flavored nothing, need some texture, and yes I’m aware I’m likely autistic lmao (goes well with the confirmed adhd too, wouldn’t be surprised haha.)
The great thing is you are in control. My navy beans, for example (and you should try them, they have such a great flavor when cooked in salted water as described) - if you don’t want mush, just cook them for 1 hour (instead of 2) after the soak. They will be discrete and the skins will be intact and they will be absolutely al dente. I bet you’ll dig them.
This sounds perfect actually, I’ll try it! A bit al dente is exactly what I’m looking for, thanks!
Awesome. 👍 There’s variations in stoves and beans, etc, so if for some reason they’re too al dente, just keep cooking in 15 minute increments until you’re where you want to be.
Thanks for the tips! I’m no chef so they’re all helpful!
I really want to like beans since you can survive off of literally just rice/beans if you have to, so I’m excited to experiment! Flavor is one thing (I could figure out how to recreate the canned ones if need be, I’m sure it’s mostly brown sugar) but texture has always been my hold out.
Beans have a huge variety of texture. Some might be mushy, but most probably won’t be quite as mushy as canned AND cooking yourself means you can control the texture as well.
I’m no good with varieties but there are waxier beans out there that maintain texture when cooked. Lots of beans cook up more similar to garbanzo’s in texture but are shaped and taste more like a typical bean. Definitely worth experimenting.
Otherwise, embrace the mush, had me some amazing huevos rancheros this AM. A slightly runny yolk (I like mine over medium), some refried beans and red chili sauce. Was amazing on toast.
I’ll continue to search, thanks.
But not embracing the mush lol, tried before, didn’t work. At least refried is more of a paste upfront though, it doesn’t look like it’s supposed to have texture while lying to me like canned beans! Deceptive little canned bastards.
I made Mayocoba beans earlier. In a pressure cooker 35-40 minutes, no pre-soak. Froze the excess for later. French Lentils (AKA Le Puy Lentils) are the easiest and fastest to cook, and super tasty. I usually put some in a rice cooker with rice and they are so tasty when done.
Definitely check for those rocks tho. Your teeth will thank you! I love beans!
I use chickpeas and make falafel because it’s absurdly easy. Also it freezes very well.
Hummus gang rise up
I never got the hang of falafel. Mine always breaks apart into disappointment and burnt crumbs.
I tried making my first chickpea mash the other day. I won’t call it hummus. It looked more like salsa with all the peppers and garlic I added.
I really really don’t think the amount of salt you are using is going to do anything for preservation. You need to use a LOT of salt. Like an inedible amount of salt that you wash off before eating.
It does make a difference. It’s not preservation, the beans will still go bad, but soaking and cooking in salt water reduces the water available to microbes and inhibits their growth. The result is (and I have observed this directly) the beans last about twice as long in the fridge before they start to have that “I’m not gonna eat that” appearance and smell.
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I use dry beans all the time, and never refrigerated dry beans.
They’ve gone hard on me after they’ve been kept in storage for a long time, but it just takes longer to boil them tender.
Beans and other legumes are up to $1.29/lb here.
Chickpeas, split peas, any kind of legumes are great!
I believe OP’s talking about refrigerating the cooked beans and then keeping for a week or two depending on salt.
I’ve never used salt for soaking/boiling them - when do you add it, and how much do you use?
For 1/2 lb beans I use 3 cups water and 1/2 Tbs kosher salt.
Thanks!
