How To Prepare Dried Beans
By Milehimama on Jun 16, 2009 in Home Cooking, Mama Tells You How, Recession Proof Routine
Dried beans are much cheaper than canned beans, and easier to store, too. (Also, if you drop dried beans on your toe, they won’t den
t the floor!)
But what are you supposed to do with them? They’re like little beany pebbles, and a lot of people don’t know how to get them from the bag to the table.
Relax, dealing with dried beans is not as difficult as you think! You will have do some preparation, though. I try to maximize my time, so I’ll prepare 2-4 pounds of dried beans at a time and then freeze the extras.
One pound of dried beans is approximately 12-14 servings of cooked beans, or about 4 cans worth.
First, you’ll need to pick through them. Beans are an agricultural product, and there can be gravel, grit, or even rotten beans in the mix.
I used to just pour it in my hand and give it a good look, or pick through as I rinsed them. Then my parents came to town, I made refried beans, and got a rock! I was glad *I* was the one who almost broke a tooth, and the rest of my family was too polite to mention it if they got a mouthful of gravel.
Now I use a cookie sheet. Miss C, age 3, loves to help me with this! She picks out the little pebbles, declares them “cute”, and keeps them all day in her pocket.
Just pour the beans on one side of the sheet, then push them over to the other side with your finger. Remove any beans that are very shriveled, dark, and any rocks or detritus.
Next, you’ll have to rinse them off to remove any dust from processing.
Finally, you’ll have to soak them. You can use the traditional method, and cover them with water (adding whey if you desire) and leave them overnight. You can also use the Quick Soak Method, and put them in a pot full of water, bring to a boil for at least a minute, and then let them soak for an hour, covered.
The key is to use plenty of water during soaking. The dried beans will absorb water, start to become tender, and prepare for cooking. (Kidney beans must be boiled for a minimum of 5 minutes, either during the soaking stage or the cooking stage to kill naturally occurring toxins.)
After soaking, the water will probably take on the color of whatever bean you are cooking. That’s okay. Sometimes bean skins will separate, which is fine, but I remove any beans that float. (And if you forget they are soaking and leave them for more than an hour, that’s all right too!)
Drain them and you’re ready to cook (or keep them for another day.)
After soaking, particularly if you use the overnight method, you will still need to cook the beans in new water according to your recipe.
Don’t add salt or acidic ingredients to the soaking water or beans until they are tender.
How much can you save? 1# of dried beans = 4 cans of beans (15 oz.) I pay around $1 per pound of dried. Cans cost .50-.65 each if you buy generic. You’ll save $1 -$1.60 per week if you replace 4 cans of beans with dried – or, you can buy at least twice as many dried.
Do that for a year, and save $50-80 off your grocery bill, as well as eliminating added sodium and keeping a bunch of trash out of the landfill. Cheaper, healthier, and more eco-friendly!
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What does the whey do for the beans?? I have some whey left over from making yogurt cheese and I wanted to do something with it.
Crystal | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Also how much would you use?
Crystal | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Very helpful info! I will have to try this.
Lindy | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
To salt or not to salt?
See, I have always disagreed with the accepted wisdom not to salt beans until the end of cooking. But I didn’t want you to take my word for it (especially since MHM is a more experienced cook than I am), so I turned to the Oracle Google.
The straight dope on salty beans seems to be this: Adding salt at the beginning of cooking extends the cooking time (it has to do with the arcana of how salt affects the cell walls which affects water absorption). So if you cook salted beans for the same amount of time you would use for unsalted beans, they might still be tough—not because salt makes them tough, but because they aren’t done yet! So if you’re in a hurry, don’t add salt until the end.
But who cooks dried beans if they’re in a hurry, anyway? I think the beans taste better if salt is added at the beginning, because the saltiness is found throughout the whole bean. Maybe I just like them that way because I usually eat canned beans. If you’re mashing the beans for hummus or refritos, on the other hand, I don’t imagine it matters at all.
I did find mention that adding salt to the soak water (not the cooking water) will actually shorten the soaking time, but also result in a mealy texture. Ick! And they say a pressure cooker will speed up cooking, too. I have never met anybody who has a pressure cooker (although I want one). Have you?
The best of the links I found is from an awesome blog I’m subscribing to: “The Truth About Cooking Beans” from The New Cook
ginkgo100 | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Some people add whey to the soaking water (soaking overnight) because they believe it makes the beans more digestible and the nutrients more available. Whey or other acidic ingredients help release the enzyme phytase. In my experience, adding vinegar, tomatoes, or lemon juice makes for crunchy beans but the whey doesn’t seem to cause that problem. A lot of people soak their grains or flour in a little whey overnight before baking for the same reason.
I think it was made popular by the Nourishing Traditions cookbook; the author, Sally Fallon, has an article about it here:
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.ht
I’ve tried it both ways and haven’t noticed a difference in taste but I have no idea if they are more nutritious!
Sally Fallon recommends 1/4 c., but I don’t actually measure, myself.
Milehimama | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for this post. It was very helpful. I have never soaked dry beans before. I tend to use a lot of lentils, or canned beans, but my husband brought home a bag of dried kidney beans one day because he had found them on sale at the import shop. They’ve been sitting in my pantry ever since, but I am now sensing some chili in our future!
Sue | Jun 16, 2009 | Reply
Me, me, I have a pressure cooker!
I use it mainly for cooking dog food, But I have used it once for cooking beans. I used the quick soak method for two pounds of kidney beans, boiled them for a minute in the cooker, then let them sit for an hour or so. I then drained and filled the cooker with fresh water, and cooked them on 15 pounds pressure for about 10 minutes. (That’s ten minutes after they came to the steaming point, and the rocker value was placed.)
Franky, I like my beans a little firmer than they turned out. Next time I will probably bring them to the steaming point, then put the rocker on and turn them off. The residual heat and pressure will do the job, I think.
The chili was very good, though.
Sandwichmom | Jun 17, 2009 | Reply
I use my pressure cooker for beans, it’s pretty fabulous… and FAST *L*
mub | Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
If you go with the Nourishing Traditions folks, they say that pressure cooking beans is no good, nutrient wise. It IS quicker though – I always used to cook them that way (directions are on my blog under recipes tab).
This is my first time at your blog, but I think I’ve found someone I like! Your sidebar is absolutely inspiring. Your ticker says only since May of this year, but you’ve been blogging for longer, right? I have a good friend who’s an Aggie Catholic…lots of connections with your stuff!
Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship | Jun 25, 2009 | Reply
You have to soak them over night before cooking. I like to use red kidney beans in a tomato, chilli and rice meal. It’s really simple: after you re-hydrate the beans over night, use some canned tomatoes, herbs n spices, chilli, fresh tomato, red kidney beans, fresh onions, some capsicum. Sautee them for a while then add rice and your good to go.
Personal trainer Gold Coast | Nov 19, 2009 | Reply