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Donna Marie
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 2:44pm | IP Logged
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I keep trying to love cooking with dry beans. I really want it to become second nature to use them in different recipes. It always seems to take so much brain power for me to use these things especially since I am always trying to cook in bulk.
So tell me,
do you have any special way of preparing them and any favorite recipes to share?? Do you grind them to make flour and if so, what do you use it for?
TIA!
God love you,
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 8dc!!
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God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 9dc!!
Finding Elegant Simplicity
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 4:11pm | IP Logged
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I cook 4-5 pounds at a time in my big electric roaster (set to 350*).. I don't soak.. I just rinse and fill with water (about 6cups to a pound) and add onion asap but if it doesn't happen onion powder isn't bad.. and then I check and stir about once an hour.. make sure there's enough water in them. Usually takes about 4-5 hours. About an hour before they're done/I'm serving them I add salt, oregano, cumin.
Then we have them in a bowl with some cheese on top and tortillas on the side for dinner.
The leftovers get portioned out how I'd want to use them for other things.. adding to soups, making chili, making refried beans etc. And if it'll be more than a few days I toss them in the freezer. Then I have cooked beans handy.. just like if I had them canned.. and I only need to cook up the dry beans once every 1-2 weeks.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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MelissaClaire
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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I didn't realize you can store cooked beans in the freezer. Do they thaw out well?
(And thanks--that was very helpful for me since I also want to start using dried beans to get away from the BPAs in canned, but was clueless as to how to start!)
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Melissa
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 4:24pm | IP Logged
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oh yes they freeze well.. if you're worried about them being mushy.. just be sure and stop cooking them while they're still firm but cooked.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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motherly loving
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 4:56pm | IP Logged
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This may be a stupid question, but what is an elctric roaster? Is that the same as a crockpot? and on high for 4-6 hours. I always use canned beans b/c my dry beans never come out right, always too dry and firm. So I would love ideas for how to cook them from dry to save money and not have to buy a processed product with extra sodium in a can.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 4:59pm | IP Logged
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No it's not a crockpot though they are similar in some ways.. it generally cooks hotter than a crock pot.. and it doesn't hold in moisture as well as a crock pot either.
here's one of the ones out there.. there's mulitple brands of them
Electric Roaster
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 5:59pm | IP Logged
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I do what Jodie does except that I cook them a bit differently and I only have to cook 2-3 lbs at a time since I have fewer kids 
I do soak overnight (or sometimes, if I forget, will put them to soak at breakfast adding some of the hot water from the kettle when making coffee). With black beans (which, while I use others in soups and such, I find black beans have more "staying power" for us than white beans--maybe more protein? less starch?)I cook them with a few cloves of garlic and add cumin and salt. I strain them, rinse them, cover with filtered water to one inch over, and them bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covered. I find that soaking cuts down on indigestion.
We eat them on rice, in soups, and in burritos. I like using soup at least once so I can use all that good bean water! 
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Jamberry77
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 6:51pm | IP Logged
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Just started cooking beans a few months ago.
Soak at 6 a.m. or so, until 3 p.m. (black beans usually) then change out water and cook 2 1/2 hours (bring to boil then simmer). Drain water (thanks for the soup tip, Lindsay, I was wondering what to do with that water!) then put beans in various containers to either freeze (include a bit of the water) or use within a few days, or put in my recipe.
Our beans go in Black Bean Burritos (add a few B adjectives for alliterative fun) that only has garlic, onions, cumin, chili powder, and black beans, served in tortillas with cheese and salsa.
Also use beans as a substitute for meat in regular tacos -adding a taco seasoning packet to it, heat, serve.
Also can use beans in enchiladas but that's a lot of work for me. Usually it's Black Bean Burritos every other week b/c we all love it, it's cheap, healthy, and easy.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 8:49pm | IP Logged
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One tip for freezing them - I use zipper-closure freezer bags, but after I seal them I set them into a plasic container (like those Glad reusable ones) so the beans take on the container's rectangular shape. Once they're frozen I can take the container out. This makes the beans easier for me to find and stack in my freezer.
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Milehimama
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| Posted: March 05 2009 at 9:18pm | IP Logged
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I cook up tons of beans at once (quick soak method - boil 1 minute, let sit covered for 1 hour). When they cool off, I portion them off in quart sized bags and put them in the freezer. Freezing expands the water inside and tenderizes them, and I've found that soaked and frozen beans cook up faster.
I just lay them flat so they're easy to stack in the freezer, but I just have a little top freezer not a big deep freezer.
And the bags are easily rinsed and reused, the beans aren't greasy or messy!
We eat beans for about 10 meals a week! A fave lunch here is "taco rice and beans" - pintos, rice, a can of picante, salsa, or taco spice served with cheese and taco toppings if we have them. The kids also really like chickpeas (garbanzos).
White beans have lots of fiber and protein, but not so much taste. You can puree them up and add them to tons of stuff. They're also good in spaghetti sauce instead of meat or with pasta with a simple dressing!
I've been posting menus that include lots of bean meals on my blog under "Food Stamp Challenge"
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Loren
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| Posted: March 06 2009 at 8:23am | IP Logged
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If your beans don't get tender, there could be several reasons. The first is that they simply haven't cooked long enough. Also, salt and acid (like tomatoes) tend to stop the cooking process, so don't add them until the beans are done. Another thing that stops the cooking process is cold water. If you have to add water during cooking, use hot. I boil extra in the kettle.
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kozimom
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| Posted: March 06 2009 at 1:27pm | IP Logged
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We like blackbeans and chickpeas the best. I cook them up either in the crockpot or just in a pot and then portion them out and freeze them in ziploc bags as well. I use the blackbeans in chili, blackbean soup,Santa fe chicken and rice, blackbean salsa, and burritos. I use the chickpeas in minestrone, humus, and I've recently roasted them till they were really crisp for snacking on. We all loved that!
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Topic: Help me not to be afraid of beans!
