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SeaStar
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 11:28am | IP Logged
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what is it? Because it escapes me every time I try to soak and cook my own.  .
It seems like it really cannot be that hard... soak overnight, rinse, then cook until tender, right? I either get really gloppy beans or beans that just are not all that tender. Could it depend on the type and age of the beans?
I really want to make my own baked beans and lose the canned variety, plus I want to make chili in my dutch oven. But I need to go back to bean school.
I can separate egg whites and beat them stiff... and that is not always so easy. So why can't I cook my own beans?
I hate it when something that seems like it should be so easy is not....
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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How dried beans cook can depend on the age because the older ones tend to be drier to start with and it can make it harder to absorb water than otherwise.
A lot of people say not to add salt until the beans are tender.
more water = not gloppy
I can never remember to soak overnight. But I have figured out that I can get them started cooking early in the morning.
So my method, and we've always gotten pretty good beans.
I use pinto beans, everyone likes them. Pick them over and rinse about 4-6lbs. Put them in my 22qt (I think) electric roaster. I cover them with water ~ 1.5 qt per pound.. maybe a bit more or until the roaster is full. (at 6lbs I'll need to add water later in the cooking too for sure). I start them by 11am. I set the roaster to 350*. Check them about once an hour to give a quick stir and make sure there's enough water. Add chopped onion as early as you like.. it'll likely "cook away" but leave excellent flavor. Once the beans are almost cooked (usually around 5 hrs or so) we season them and add a ham bone if we want at the same time. We season with the aformentioned onion, salt, cumin, oregano.
Then the beans are usually ready to eat at about 7hrs from the time we start them.
The roaster works somewhat like a crockpot/slow cooker but does lose more water than those.. but not as much as if you cook them on the stovetop.
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Christine
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 1:00pm | IP Logged
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I usually add a little sugar to my recipe to soften the beans. Adding a little salt will make the beans harder
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stefoodie
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 1:29pm | IP Logged
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If soaking overnight, I bring it to a boil, just water and beans, then cover, turn off heat and leave overnight. Usually by morning, it's either completely done, or max just needs ~15-30 minutes more simmering. No salt.
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MaryM
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 1:40pm | IP Logged
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Yes, if they are old or improperly stored may not get soft.
JodieLyn wrote:
| A lot of people say not to add salt until the beans are tender. |
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And definitely don't add tomatoes or tomato sauce until tender. Anything acidic (vinegar, lemon, etc.) alters the chemistry and they won't get soft.
Need to bring to a hard boil, then turned down for rest of cooking. If cooked too hot and at too rapid of a boil it tears up the beans - which could also lead to the glopping texture.
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jawgee
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 2:48pm | IP Logged
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I make baked beans almost every weekend. It's tradition in our family.
I soak overnight (2 lbs). In the AM I fill a saucepan 1/2 way with water and add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 small onion (whole), a few teaspoons of black pepper, a few teaspoons of ground mustard, and 1/2 lb. salt pork. I cook that on the stovetop until it boils, and I pour it on top of the beans and cook at 350 until they are done (6-8 hours, depending on the type of bean).
Throughout the day I watch to make sure the beans aren't dry and I add some water if they are. (Just enough to cover).
Not much of a "recipe," per say, but this is the way I've been doing it for about 20 years.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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OK- this is all great. It sounds like everyone has their own tried and true bean method, and I have just not found mine yet.
I am definitely going to try these tips. I think adding the tomatoes too soon is definitely a part of my problem.
Monica- does the whole onion cook down in the oven, or do you take it out later?
Stef- do you put your beans to soak right before bed or earlier in the evening? I've read that soaking too long can cause them to ferment or sprout. But then I forget half the time to start them soaking before I am *in* bed and don't want to get back up.
Christine- is a little sugar a couple of tbs or more?
Wish I had a roaster like Jodie!
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jawgee
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 7:39pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
| Monica- does the whole onion cook down in the oven, or do you take it out later? |
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I take it out later.
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 8:27pm | IP Logged
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I make a big batch of either black beans or pinto beans every week. Here is my (so far) foolproof method.
Soak overnight in plenty of water.This really is key.
Rinse and add to pressure cooker. Cover with water, just about a half inch or so above level of beans.
Bring to pressure and cook 4-5 mins.
Allow to cool. They come out perfectly.
I can now add seasonings if I like and it doesn't affect the cooking since they are already cooked.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Oct 28 2013 at 8:31pm | IP Logged
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You can also use the quick soak method: bring beans and water to boil, boil 1 minute, slap a lid on them and remove them from the element. Leave them for 1 hour.
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Trill
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| Posted: Oct 30 2013 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
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I don't bother to soak them. Works just fine and one fewer barrier to dinner.
Michelle
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anitamarie
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One other thing to consider. The mineral content of the water in which the beans are cooked can affect how well they soften. Hard water is sometimes to blame. It may not be you, it may be your water. 
Anita
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Oct 31 2013 at 5:53am | IP Logged
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anitamarie wrote:
One other thing to consider. The mineral content of the water in which the beans are cooked can affect how well they soften. Hard water is sometimes to blame. It may not be you, it may be your water.
Anita |
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Oh ho- I was just thinking this yesterday! I put some black beans on to soak overnight. I filled the pot with cold water, brought it to a boil, then turned it off and let it sit overnight ( 11hours!). Then in the morning I changed the water, brought it all to a boil again and then turned the heat down to a simmer.
FOUR hours later, the beans were just getting tender. At that point I started wondering about the water. We do have very hard water here- but we do have a water softener. I guess that may not be enough....
I wonder if a roaster or pressure cooker would help in that regard.
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: Oct 31 2013 at 12:58pm | IP Logged
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I never soak overnight either.
Here's my method:
Fill the slow cooker maybe 1/3 full with dry pinto beans. Fill the rest of the way with water. Cook on high about 6 hours or until fork tender.
Then I drain those and start a second batch immediately. If I start the first at 7am, they're usually done around noon, and then my second batch is done around 5pm. That's a good amount of beans cooked in one day. :) I do this every couple weeks and freeze them in quarts. The kids have beans and cheese for lunch almost every day, so we go through a lot.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Oct 31 2013 at 4:41pm | IP Logged
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Well, now I am convinced that it must be something in the water here, as I have tried different types of beans, and they all just take forever to cook.
Probably the pressure cooker would help me the most at this point, but I don't have one. Of course, I can just let the beans cook all day, too, after soaking all night. But it just seems like it shouldn't take nearly a day to get beans to soften and cook.
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juliana147
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| Posted: Oct 31 2013 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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Melinda, I think I had that problem in one place I lived! I couldn't ever figure it out. I bet it was the water.
Could you use bottled water for this?
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SeaStar
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juliana147 wrote:
Melinda, I think I had that problem in one place I lived! I couldn't ever figure it out. I bet it was the water.
Could you use bottled water for this? |
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I am definitely going to try using bottled water for my next batch and see if that helps.
hey... could this be a science fair project? 
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stefoodie
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SeaStar wrote:
| Stef- do you put your beans to soak right before bed or earlier in the evening? I've read that soaking too long can cause them to ferment or sprout. But then I forget half the time to start them soaking before I am *in* bed and don't want to get back up. |
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Mel, right before bed. 'Cause that's usually when I remember (actually I most often remember when I'm ALREADY in bed and have to get up again to do it).
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CrunchyMom
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I soak overnight, then cook as others have said. No salt until seasoning at the end, though, I'll add some onion and garlic to cook with the beans. I add water from the kettle to cold tap water to make very warm water to soak beans (I don't like cooking with water from the hot water heater), but I'm guessing that Stef's method is very similar.
One reason I soak, though, is not to make them cook faster but to make them more digestible. I soak overnight, the I drain and rinse and add fresh water. This seems to make them less gassy. 
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Grateful in VA
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| Posted: March 13 2014 at 3:24pm | IP Logged
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Going through this old post to see what we did wrong last week. 
I was wondering if anyone did try using bottled water and if so how did the beans turn out?
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Topic: The secret of cooking beans...
