Beans, beans the magical fruit…
Actually, they’re not a fruit, they’re a legume, but who cares? They taste good.
You could buy beans for a buck or two a can, but they’d taste like the aluminum they’re canned in. You can do better. Make these fresh!
Quick soak method:
- Boil your dried beans for a minute or two, then turn off the heat.
- Let them sit for at least an hour.
- Drain the water and replace with fresh water. This is key if you want to avoid some of the unpleasant effects of beans.
- Boil until soft.
Overnight soak method:
- Soak your beans overnight in cool water.
- Drain and replace the water.
- Cook until soft on your stovetop.
Pressure cooker method:
Pressure cookers cut cooking time by one-third to half. They’re perfect for stews, soups, and beans. Check your specific bean on this chart for the exact cooking and soaking times for best results.
- Soak your beans using overnight or quick soak method. Drain beans.
- Add beans to pressure cooker and add fresh water at least a few inches over your beans. Note that a pressure cooker should never be filled more than halfway.
- Cook your beans, timing the beans according to the bean chart.
- Release the pressure in the pressure cooker, remove top and drain beans.
- Note that the cooking time for your beans will be reduced if you plan to leave the top on the pressure cooker and let the pressure release naturally. If you release it using the quick method–putting your pot in the sink under running, cold water, it’ll be a few minutes more.
- Pro tip: It’s easy to overcook beans in a pressure cooker as you’re learning. I usually undercook them, then finish the last few minutes on the stove, testing for doneness. If I overcook my beans, I convert them to a dip or hummus.
Things to do with beans: