I have big pots though so I can make several pounds of beans at once.

Although I don’t think I’ve ever come across dried cannelini beans

And barley or rice, just portion out cooked/leftovers and freeze in airtight packages. Just remember to take them out of the freezer and put them into the fridge (or on the counter, if it’s plain barley or plain rice) in the morning so it’s not a block of ice when you want to cook. Also, rice and barley keep well for several days in the fridge – you can cook a big batch on the weekend and eat on it all week long.

Using frozen beans without additional cooking works best for small beans, like navy or small red beans. They will be firmer than beans cooked all day (like baked beans or pork and beans).

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!

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.

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.

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