4 Easy Ways To Cook Beans
Do you love to cook beans? I’ve been wanting to share 4 easy ways to cook beans for some time now. There is something awesome about a pot of beans simmering on the stove. You can flavor so many kinds of beans with different seasonings, and the magic of several new meals begins.
I grew up eating beans and made pinto beans into mashed beans to fill burritos to freeze in bulk with my daughters. I must admit right here that ONCE I missed a chunk of dirt in the bag of beans. It must have been very small, but big enough that it took my daughter, Heidi, years before she would eat refried beans again. Yep, she bit into a burrito with a chunk of dirt.
I learned that we need to open the bag and spread the beans out and check for rocks, debris, and small chunks of dirt. Dang, I missed a chunk! Anyway, just giving you the heads-up to look through the bags of beans you decide to soak or not soak before cooking them. Today, when I made these beans I found a 1/4-inch rock, this is why I use a mesh strainer to inspect my beans before I soak or cook them.
I love storing beans in my pantry and general food storage because they are nutritious, hearty, versatile, and inexpensive. When fall comes, I immediately think of chili served with cornbread. I make chili with white beans, red chili beans, or a combination. Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about a pot of chili.
Please stock up on beans, any kind of beans that your family will eat. You’ve seen the prices of food these days, please stock beans now, you’ll be so glad you did.
This is my favorite Electric Pressure Cooker: Zavor 6-Quart Pressure Cooker The former workers and developers purchased the former Fagor company.
Can I Still Cook Really Old Beans?
Here’s the deal about beans, if they are really old, as in 25 years old, that were stored in big cans (mine were green), then they may not have the food value we would all like after that many years. But, they would fill the belly, and if you have a pressure cooker you may be able to cook those old hard, and I mean really hard, beans.
I was in a pressure cooker class a few years ago and the instructor showed us how beans will soften if cooked in a pressure cooker. If you added some cooked quinoa and some vegetables along with the cooked beans for a meal, you would at least feel full after an emergency in your neighborhood. I have friends that eat old beans almost every day of the week and they are healthy, so life is good if you store lots of beans.
I like to rinse my beans before I pre-soak them or cook them. You don’t have to pre-soak the beans, but just giving you the heads-up here, it takes longer to cook the beans when you don’t. I didn’t pre-soak the beans for my pressure cookers. I used two different electric pressure cookers below so I could compare them side by side. I purchased both of them, just so you know I’m not getting paid to review these pressure cookers.
Cooking Beans:
Please note, I cooked the dried pinto beans four different ways using only the following:
- 1 cup dried beans (sort for rocks/debris, then wash and drain)
- 3 cups of water
- No salt, seasonings, or oil/fat added
- I didn’t pre-soak any of them before cooking. PLEASE NOTE, I would for sure pre-soak the beans for cooking beans on the stovetop, in the oven, and in the slow cooker. Pre-soaking is always the best way to cook beans. Nothing has changed, except maybe the pressure cooker cooks them a little faster. But, I will pre-soak all my beans going forward. I’ve pre-soaked them for years, but I wanted to see if I could cook them without doing pre-soaking. Nope, it helps to cook them faster.
Tips For Gas From Beans
Tana: “My dad taught us a trick to help with potential “gastric disturbances” later on as part of meals with beans. Depending on how large a pot you cook up, he would add 1/4 to 1 cup of any grain to the beans during cooking. You can’t even tell they’re in the beans! He often used barley, brown rice, or millet.”
Four Ways to Cook Beans
Cook Beans-Stovetop:
I would for sure pre-soak the beans for at least 6-12 hours minimum. I cover mine with water and put them in the refrigerator. After pre-soaking them, drain the water from the pan and cover them with at least one inch of fresh water. Cook without a lid on medium heat until the water comes to a boil, and simmer until tender. The time period suggested will depend on how old the beans are.
I had some beans that were about two years old and they took 8 hours to cook. I didn’t pre-soak them, big mistake. You can add your favorite seasonings, garlic, jalapenos, green chilies, onions, etc. There is something awesome about making your own homemade pinto beans, or whatever beans you have in your pantry. I added my favorite seasonings, like chili powder, cumin, and garlic halfway through the cooking process. I didn’t add oil or fat of any kind.
Cook Beans-Slow Cooker:
For slow cooker bean meals, I would pre-soak the beans for at least 6-12 hours minimum, covered with water in the refrigerator. After pre-soaking them, drain the water from the pan and cover them with at least two inches of fresh water in your slow cooker.
I would start by setting the slow cooker on high and then lower it to low maybe halfway through the day, depending on the temperature of your slow cooker. I realize different brands cook at different temperatures. Cook for at least 6-10 hours, or until tender. Again, I added my favorite seasonings, like chili powder, cumin, and garlic halfway through the cooking. I didn’t add oil or fat of any kind.
Cook Beans-Oven Cooking:
I have to tell you this was the easiest way to cook them! I grabbed one of my Dutch ovens, but any deep oven-safe pan would work. Like with other cooking options, I would pre-soak the beans for at least 6-12 hours minimum, covered with water in the refrigerator. After pre-soaking them, drain the water from the pan and cover them with at least one to two inches of water in the Dutch oven or pot.
Preheat the oven to (350°F) = (176°C) degrees and bake without a lid for 90-120 minutes. Longer, if your beans are older. Cook until tender to your taste. Like it did with the other cooking methods, I added my favorite seasonings, like chili powder, cumin, and garlic halfway through the cooking. I didn’t add oil or fat of any kind.
Cook Beans-Electric Pressure Cookers:
I have purchased both the Fagor 3-in-1 pressure cooker and the 7-in-1 Instant Pot, so I wanted to compare the two side by side. I am partial to the Fagor because I have taken several classes from Chef Brad, who teaches so many wonderful classes everywhere.
He suggested at the time we buy a Fagor, so I did. Then the Instant Pot became popular on Facebook and on blogs more recently. I decided to buy an Instant Pot before I did a giveaway with one a few years ago. They are both great machines. UPDATE: I prefer the Zavor (formerly Fagor), and I had given away all three of my InstantPots.
You can see the mesh strainer above, I use it to rinse my beans before I soak or cook them. As you know, I’ll go back to soaking my beans overnight once again after today’s experiment. NOTE: you must be careful with beans in a pressure cooker because of the foam they create.
Read the instructions about cooking beans in your pressure cooker’s owner’s manual. Most say to keep the pot fully cooked below 2/3 or 1/2 full. Please check your book because beans will expand and fill the pot, possibly too full.
Cook Beans-Fagor(Bought out by Zavor):
The ratio for cooking beans is 1 part beans to 3 parts water. You lock the lid in place and turn it to “pressure,” HIGH for 50-60 minutes, and push start. I used the natural release to release the pressure after cooking.
Cook Beans-Instant Pot:
The ratio for cooking beans is 1 part beans to 3 parts water. You lock the lid in place and turn it to “Beans/Chili,” then push the high pressure. The time comes up for 30 minutes, but my beans didn’t get cooked in the 30 minutes, but my beans are two years old. They may cook in 30 minutes if you have a fresh bag of beans, but these two-year-old beans were not fully cooked within that suggested time. Next time, I’ll push 50-60 minutes. I used the natural release to release the pressure after cooking.
Release on pressure cookers:
Here are two ways to release the pressure, be sure and use a hot pad or washcloth or you’ll get burned from the steam. Be sure and read the instructions for YOUR brand. Some recommend you DON’T USE a rag.
1. Natural Method:
After cooking, you’ll press the START/STOP button to stop the cooking process. Unplug the unit and wait for the pressure to naturally release….approximately 20-30 minutes. After this time, move the pressure regulator to the vent to make sure all the pressure has been released.
2. Quick Release Method:
After cooking, press the START/STOP button to make sure the unit is completely turned off. Turn the pressure regulator to the vent and allow the pressure to release. Caution! Keep hands and face away from the escaping steam as it is extremely hot and can cause injury. I use a washcloth to cover the release vent when turning it to help me from getting burned by the very hot steam.
Why We Need To Buy Beans by Linda
Homemade Chili
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 28 -ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 2-8 ounce cans tomato paste
- 2-16 ounce cans kidney beans (do not drain) or equal amount of freshly cooked beans
- 4 -ounce can of chopped green chilies
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
-
Brown the ground beef with the onions and drain the grease. Get the slow cooker out and start adding the browned ground beef, onions, and the remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Final Word
Please store some dried beans, they are inexpensive and you can cook them outside with charcoal and a Dutch oven or a Sun Oven, if you have a lot of sunshine where you live. Thanks again for being prepared for the unexpected. May God Bless their world, Linda
Copyright Images: Beans AdobeStock_139639492 by piyaset
I have a question. If two year old beans are hard to cook, how hard to cook would the 20 year old beans be? They are selling beans in 5 gallon buckets and saying they are good for 20 years. Are they? Would adding baking soda help old beans get softer?
Hi Victoria, beans are beans. The older they get the harder (longer time) they are to cook. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t store some, but we need to be prepared to use more fuel to cook them. If you have a Sun Oven, it may take three days to cook them. I don’t know how long they would take to cook in a Sun Oven if they are 20 years old. We could always pressure can them if we have the fuel. Yes, they may be good for 20 years but I highly question the food value. I’m not a scientist, so I can’t predict the food value. I’ve never heard about using baking soda. Linda
Baking soda can act as a tenderizer for dried beans. Dried beans that just won’t get tender, despite following soaking and simmering directions to the minute, are typically caused by hard water, beans that are old, or beans that have been improperly stored. The next time you forget to set your dried beans to soak the night before you need them, your beans can still be tender on time if you use the standard quick soak method and a little baking soda. 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water.
Hi Dora, thanks for the tip on the baking soda and the hard beans!!! Linda
I had an old recile thatcled fir presoaking the beans overnight in a covered pot. The next day, the water was changed outfir fresh and the beans were brought to a boil. At that time a teaspoonful of baking soda was added as you stirred the beans. This turned the water yellow, which also foamed. After 10 or 15 minutes, you could gently blow on a spoonful of the beans. If the skins shriveled up and split, the pot was removed from the heat, the beans drained and rinsed. Fresh water was added along with the seasoning, meat, vegetables, etc. Then the slow cooking of the beans commenced. The chemical reaction of the soda seemed to soften the outer skins and allowed the inner beans to cook through. We would constantly skim off loosened skins as they floated to the top.
Yes, baking soda works to soften old beans. You don’t need very much, maybe 1/2 t.per pound of beans. I don’t measure. Just add it at the beginning or if your beans have been cooking awhile and they aren’t softening like you think they should you can add it then and they will soften. This doesn’t affect the taste of the beans or the recipe.
Hi Kimberly, thanks for letting us know. I love learning new tricks!! Thank you so much, Linda
Linda~
I have the funniest story about cooking beans!!
When I moved away from home, one of the things I missed about Mom’s cooking was her ham and beans! So, I was living in Nebraska and it was getting pretty cold so I thought I would make some – how hard could it be? Soak the beans, cook them with a ham hock!
So, one evening, I put my beans to soak. I could almost taste the soup!! The next morning, I went to rinse the beans and get them cooking. Well, I threw them out! I then called my Mom in Washington to find out what was wrong with my beans. The pan was full of little white worms! I thought my Mom was going to die laughing. She then told me that the beans must have been pretty fresh and they sprouted overnight!! It was quite a learning process! So, I started all over and went to the store for more beans! I will NEVER forget that. Turns out, the beans were actually grown locally and they were that year’s beans so they were very fresh – the checker told me that they had just gotten in the year’s supply a few days prior to me purchasing them!
So, if you get fresh beans or grow them yourself, be aware that they may sprout in the soaking!
Oh Leanne, this the best story ever! I have never purchased fresh beans so I have not seen the sprouts. I love this!! Linda
HaHaHaaaaaaaaaaaa, Leanne that`s the best story i have heard in a long time, thanks for sharing it with us……
Hi Hearl, isn’t it fun to talk to each other right here!! Life is so good!! Linda
Yes it is Linda, thank you for making it possible.
I, too love beans and stuck with canned beans because I had a lot of trouble with them splitting or bursting. America’s Test Kitchen did a segment on dry beans and they recommend adding 1 T. salt per gallon of soaking water, then completely rinse the beans before adding new water and cooking. I had always heard not to add salt when cooking beans as it would make the skins tough and ATK confirmed that was true but soaking in salt water, essentially a brine, and RINSING the salt away has a totally different effect. Now my beans cook perfectly. Thanks for encouraging folks to cook dry beans.
HI Debbie, I love your tips on cooking beans! Thank you so much! Linda
Hey Linda,
You are on a subject we are working on here at our house. One aspect of cooking beans was how much fuel it takes to turn the dry product into edible product. So soaking is a must, but the question we’re considering is what about soaking extra long to get more softness into the bean. You can’t leave them too long or they could ferment, but so far with the beans we’ve tried, a 24 hour soak is bringing back some pretty old beans with extended cooking time. We’re trying a longer soak to see if we can get the cooking time down. It might be just a matter of replacing the water to bring back all the flavor.
Hi Debbie, I love your comment!!! Here’s the deal, we need to practice cooking “old” beans so we won’t use as much fuel when our fuel supplies are dwindling. Thank you, Linda
I live at 6,000 feet in New Mexico. When we moved to New Mexico from Tennessee we could not get beans to cook right. A friend told us what we do is rinse the beans and then we take and cook them until they boil for about 5 minutes. Then we turn them off and let them soak for about 5 hours. Drain the beans and put them in boiling water and cook for another 1-2 hours and they turn out great. I use a old pressure cooker that can’t be used for presser cooking but it still works.
You can also use baking soda to cook your beans and that will soften them but my husband does not like them cooked that way.
Hi Jackie, thank for the tip on soaking beans. I love all the tips we are getting on cooking beans. I really believe we will be eating more beans than we ever have. Thank you so much! Linda
I have a bucket of pinto beans that are 4 years old. I have to pressure cook them for about an hour to get them soft. (When I first started storing beans and rice, I put them in a large Mylar bag,sealed in 5 gallon buckets . I wish we had done 1 gallon mylar bags now). I can’t taste any difference in the 4 year old beans and ones we got this year. The only reason I know this is my daughter bought a bag of pintos last month, not realizing I had an open bucket LOL. We do not need anymore pinto beans. ( Or rice for that matter. We do eat a lot more rice than beans). Love the recipes. My daughter in law does not eat beans. But she did eat them in your chili recipe. Do you have a favorite recipe for refried beans ? If so, I would love to try it. Thanks for ll the info and recipes. God Bless
Hi Judy, I’m working on a refried bean recipe post. I love Mexican food of any kind. I will work on that one ASAP. I’m glad to hear the beans tasted the same with only 4 years in age difference. I used to cook beans older than four years old. I have never cooked beans that were 10 or 20 years old. When raising a family we would go through 100 pounds of beans in about 3 years or so. I love pinto beans. I will try and share my simple recipe very soon. Linda
Hi, I tried submitting this earlier, but I guess it didn’t go through. It’s really important to be careful with kidney beans and slow cookers. The reason is that kidney beans have a high amount of toxin that needs to be inactivated by boiling for at least ten minutes. Kidney beans can’t go straight from soaking to cooking in a crock pot because the crock pot temperature isn’t high enough to inactivate that toxin. And for that same reason, they have to be cooked before going into a sun oven as well.
Hi Jennifer, if a comment has a link with an “http” instead of an “https” my website will halt the comment for security reasons. I have a secure site and it would compromise my website. Thanks for your tip on the kidney beans. Good to know, thank you so much. Linda
My Dad used to tell us a home was a home with a pot of beans simmering on the stove! He really knew how to do beans! He taught me to sort them on the table, looking for rocks and bits of hard dirt. Rinse them, cover well with water and add a table spoon of baking soda (he always made a big pot for our large family) . Soak overnight. Then rinse again. Cover with water and bring to boil on stove, turn down and simmer with lid.
Never add salt until the beans are soft. They won’t soften up if you do. When soft you may add the seasonings you prefer. Dad always added a cube of butter to his beans when done. He taught us a trick to help with potential ‘gastric disturbances often accompaning meals with beans later on. Depending on how large a pot you cook up, he would add 1/4 to 1 cup of any grain to the beans during cooking. You can’t even tell they’re in the beans! He often used barley, brown rice or millet. He explained the science behind it but I can’t remember it now. I just know that it really does help. I can tell when I forget to add the grain. Another secret he had for his famous chili was a good heaping spoonful of plain Cocoa powder! His beans were always incredibly good!
He had a lot of beans in his food storage so they were sometimes a few years old. He said if they sprouted during soaking that was even better, and they often did.
He would sometimes take the soaked beans and put them in a few freezer bags and freeze them. Later he had some ready to go and would bring a pot of water to boil and toss the frozen beans in,
Which would help crack the beans when they hit the boiling water. They cook up a little bit faster. I did this with my solar oven a few weeks ago. They took a day to cook up and were pretty good!
Linda, your post has made me decide to go soak a pot of beans! I also want to try your recipe you show for your mint brownies!!! They look incredibly good! ☺️ Thank you for your inspiration each day for so many of us!
Tana
Hi Tana, oh you made my day! It’s people like you who keep me going. I LOVE your comment, I have got to try the baking soda and the cocoa!! Oh my gosh, we all learn so much from each other!! I’m for sure going to try the “grains” to the pot of beans! This is an awesome trick! You have got to make those mint brownies, oh my gosh, they are so good! Thanks again, Linda
Tana, P.S. I’m adding your dad’s tip about the grains to my post!!!
It’s interesting to me how differently people use, cook, season and serve beans. Based on my Spanish, Latin or as the government says’ it, my “hispanic” heritage I regard beans as usually being a side dish that one usually lays on top or their rice or the beans are made into a dish with rice. I grew up eating red, pink, sometimes black and on rare occasion white kidney beans either the large or small varieties. And they are usually seasoned with such things as onion and garlic powder, Adobo, sofrito, tomato sauce, and some people toss in bits of cooking fat and onion, green pepper and bits of ham and/or diced potato and even tomatoes.
For better health, I omit pork fat, ham or any salty meat. I do like to toss in a bit of cooked ground meat or a chunk of beef and I season with onion powder and a dash of garlic powder or minced garlic. I also add onion and green peppers if I have them but I eat them without all that too. We can all agree they’re very versatile in regards to spices and what they can be mixed with or have added to them.
You can also make an easy bean salad with canned (They have to be fully cooked) red, pink and white beans (black are fine too), green pepper and onion and a little vinegar. It’s good to rinse the beans just a bit so they won’t be “thick” and sticky from the sauce in the can.
Hi Frank, wow, now I want to make a bean salad with vinegar! You know how to make beans, my friend! I love your comment! Great ideas, Linda
I just subscribed and love the comments and advice on cooking beans. Could you tell me about how much garlic, chili powder and cumin you use for a batch of beans? Thank you.
Hi Sue, I’m writing a post right now about refried beans. Is that what you are talking about? Linda
No, what I was writing about is how much garlic, chili powder and cumin you use when cooking a pot of beans in the Instant Pot, Crockpot, etc. I enjoy your website very much and look forward to learning more about prepping. Thank you
Hi Sue, oh gotcha. Stay tuned I will be writing a few posts on using beans. Linda
Thanks so much for the wonderful hints, recipes, and other ideas on cooking beans. Learned a lot!! I so enjoy this post and all the people who have added comments for us all to share! Thanks so much Linda!!
Hi LaRene, life is good when we have a pot of beans cooking in the kitchen! Thank you, girlfriend! Life is crazy right now, so hearing from you is fantastic!! Hugs! Linda
Linda, the tips on baking soda (which will also help to de-gasify beans) and pre-soaking with salt then rinsing it off are excellent. They work on old beans. I have 20 pounds of pinto beans sealed in one pound lots–in mylar bags with O2 absorbers. They’ll probably last longer than I will :-).
I also use a lot of canned beans as they also last for years. Some of them I canned myself. All this talk of beans is making me hungry so I’m going to bake some cornbread in my sun oven and have beans and cornbread.
btw: I have made ham and bean soup in the sun oven, but only using canned beans. I think you could make it using dry beans if you did a really good job of pre-soaking and aimed the oven directly at the sun every hour for at least 10 hours. I’ll try it one of these long, summer days.
Linda:
I have almost 1,000 pounds of beans stored for emergencies and just for eating. We use a pressure cooker to cook them a lot of times but because we live in a high altitude we really have to do 2 steps to make them cook up well (even new beans). What we do is put the beans in a large stock pot and then we bring them to a boil. (if you don’t want the poot’s just add a potato in a food safe mesh bag., When the beans boil for about 20-30 minutes pull them off the heat. Let them sit for 12 hours or overnight and drain. Remove Potato. Add boiling water to the beans and bring up to a boil and turn down to simmer and cook until tender. We have beans for weeks and you can also can the beans after the precook or if you prefer just freeze the extra after totally cooking them. Don’t know how long it will take us to use all the beans we have but if nothing else we will have beans to eat.
Hi Jackie, oh how I love this comment! You can never have too many beans in my opinion!! I have got to try the potato, love this tip!! Thank you!! Linda
dont laugh ,hubby had angalosting spodilitis(?) adrink at nite helped him sleep,so i had empty whiskey bottles to throw out ? nah ! put my dried beans in big bottles & put 1cup in small plastic coke bottles (chaser ), i got beans ! beans ! jus found case of “coke bottles “i had forgot about ! fond memeries when i get my beans out !dont have to worry about breaking, plastic !
if i see a “bean ” that i dont have i get it ! love all different kind ,always ck bean shelves !
Hi Daphne, oh my gosh, I love your ideas on repurposing bottles!! I love hearing that you stock beans!! Great comment!!! Linda
I already have chili on the menu for Thursday when my quilting friends come over for the day. Thanks for the recipe and great tips Linda.
Hi Paula, thank you for your kind words. A quilting group sounds so fun!!!!!! Linda
Hi Linda, I havw another way to start beans that helps with the gas, the cook time and makes them more digestible. Like LeAnn’s sprouted beans, but they do not have to be as fresh. If you soak them overnight, then drain and rinse, then rinse and drain a couple times a day until they sprout, it changes the way the beans digest and I like the sweeter taste as well. You do have to plan in advance, as it can take two or three days. They do not need long sprout tails. I also never soak in the fridge, do not have enough space for it, so had not even considered that, and to sprout they should be room temperature. Sprouted beans cook faster–after all the wait, that is a good thing! Thanks and God Bless!
Jan, Thanks for this tip. I will have to try this- guess i have not pre soaked mine enough. I love beans but they HATE me. It is imperative i not get gas from them,due to my health issues.Could land me in hospital within a few hours with tubes in all orfices. Been there -done that.
Denise, please be careful! It helps, but may not elimnate gas. Wish I could say there would be none, but I do not know anything that would do that. Hope it helps, stay well!
Hi Jan, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend! I love learning about sprouting the beans on the counter, love it!! Linda
This year, I have been canning like crazy. I think I need to can some chili next. The USDA has a great recipe. All this talk about bean and chili is making me hungry.
Hi Janet, me too! I love a good pot of chili! Linda
I had the chance to meet a person whose family owned a bean farm for generations. I asked her if there was a family secret she could share she said yes. Her advice was to add a carrot to ones pot of beans. I have recently started grating my carrot for my beans. I know that beans hold lots of vital nutrients but there has to be another nutrient to help them become unlocked. The natural sugar in the carrots also help with the issue of poots . My dad also cooked beans he would sort wash rinse and then add them to the pot. Next was adding water at least two inches above the bean, start the cooking process. Once the bean pot was boiling the lid was put on pot and the stove burner was turned down to medium high, Now over the course of about two hours one checked the pot stir the beans and add water if necessary. I remember to stir the pot while adding more water. I also add the seasoning after the first hour.
HI Sandra, oh my gosh, I love hearing this! I will add a grated carrot to my beans from now on!! Love it! Linda
What great posts to print out and add to my “homemade cookbook/notebook”! Well, being a prepper of sorts, years ago, I bought a bunch of quanitities of different organic dried beans that did not include many of the red beans, as those are not great for Blood Type A. I think I only bought one small red bean to add to the soup, just for flavor. Otherwise, if I remember correctly, this was my version of an organic “near-to” 13-bean soup, The combined amts. of different beans filled an entire 5 gallon pail! That pail is still full and sitting in the bottom of my stockpile pantry! NOW, thanks to all of your many comments, I know we can still use those beans for food in a crisis! THANK YOU!! I have often thought of just throwing all those organic beans in the garbage, but was never sure if they were unusable or not, so have kept them in storage just in case. THANK YOU FOR RESCUING MY EXPENSIVE ORGANIC BEAN SOUP!!
Another tip for those who might want fresh sprouts during any time you cannot get hold of enough fresh food. It is SUPER EASY to sprout mung beans near a window or even on the counter. You can just buy one of those caps they sell for sprouting and grab a wide mouth pint canning jar. Then you place about 1 1/2″ of mung beans in the bottom, fill the bottle with filtered water for an hour or two, then drain, rinse and drain. I leave my bottle draining over the edge of my kitchen sink, just in case there more water that wants to come out…Go to bed or go do something for several/many hours. When you come back, rinse the beans again and drain….just don’t let your beans in the jar dry out. If you follow directions semi-carefully, you will have beans with sprouts on them without a couple of days and they will expand to try to fill your jar! Just keep rinsing and draining periodically, so you don’t get salmonella. The mung bean sprouts will taste like fresh peas (!) and can be used in a salad or in your cooking. They add a lot of nutrition to your meal! I buy my organic mung beans at MungBeansUSA.com, and they have still sprouted after 4-5 years! Super fantastic. Even my husband likes these enough he will start a batch all on his own!
Oh, by the way, when we used to live in Minneapolis in the 1970s, we frequented a very FAMOUS EMILY’S LEBANESE DELI AND RESTAURANT! Best food ever! Well, once she put some of her recipes in the newspaper…JUST ONCE, mind you, and I was fortunate to get hold of some of her recipes. Let me tell you, she ALWAYS used a pinch or two of baking soda to cook the garbanzos for her famous hummus!! (So I have been doing such for about 50 years now and it works everytime!)
Best to all,
Joyce Stotts
Certified Natural Health Professional since 2006
Central NYS
Hi Joyce, having good organic beans are the best! The pitch or two of baking soda to garbanzo beans is the best trick ever! Thank you for sharing! We will all be sprouting very soon, thanks again, Linda
What I do is really easy…..rinse the beans and put in small crock pot….I think it is a quart or so….3 cups water to 1 cup of beans and let them cook over night. Rinse in the morning and bag to freeze.
Works with any kind of bean even have not had a problem with kidney beans.
Hi Sandra, oh I need to do this, great idea!! Linda
We still live at high altitude but not at high as the last answer but we put them on the night before and Pressure cook them for a couple hours than soak them. We boil them and then cook about 2-3 hours before supper and they come out fantastic. I cook Pinto, Navy, Black, Red, Anastasi and other beans (we have over 5,000# beans and have been using them since 2,000 and we have hardly made a dent in them and we use them several times a week in winter although my husband does not eat much in summer except for pork.
Hi Jackie, thank you for the 5 stars, my sweet friend. 5000 pounds of beans is a lot of beans. And a blessing! Love hearing this, Linda
Sorry for the typos, all!
I cook my pintos on the stove top. I wash them in warm water, two or three times, till the water remains clear. Cover the beans with water, two to three inches; heat till they boil and let them boil for 15 minutes. I shut off the fire and cover them for one hour; put the fire back under them till they reach a simmer. My beans cook for no longer than two hours and they are ready, new beans or old.
HI Charlotte, oh I love hearing this, thank you for your technique!! Linda
Remember you can always grind your beans and add them to food. It doesn’t require the cooking time whole beans do. Re-fried pinto or black beans are great. You can make a mock hummus also. Make burritos or tacos, or even replace oil.
Hi Debra, I have heard you can grind beans, I haven’t done it, but it’s worth a try for sure! Thank you for that tip! Linda