Please help with darn beans

[Deir]

I can't cook dried beans. What is the deal? it would be so much cheaper. Please tell me how you get your dried beans to not be hard. Yes, I soak them.

[tanyalynn]

Some brands tend to be older and don't rehydrate well, I've had packages that just aren't good. I *think* I've always had good luck with the beans in the bulk bin from the HFS.

I put mine in a slow cooker on warm for about 24 hrs, dump that water, and then put them into whatever recipe I'm making. They're not cooked at this point, or even really edibly-soft, so don't add in any acidic ingredients, that will prevent them from getting tender. Making chili, adding the tomatoes and the beans at this point, will yield bad results. But mine get soft if I just do a regular simmer at this point (with meat/onions/spices/things like that) and then add acidic stuff when the beans are soft enough.

[Owen'nZoe]

If the beans are old, they will take for-e-ver to get soft. Forever. Also, some people say they won't get soft if you add salt or acid (lemon juice, tomatoes) while they are cooking. I've tried them both ways, and don't notice a difference.

My favorite way of cooking them is in the pressure cooker. You add 1 part beans, 3 parts water, half an onion, and a piece of kelp (if you have it - totally optional, but it supposedly makes them more digestable) and cook under pressure for 18 minutes.

Before I had the pressure cooker, I always used my crockpot. Again, same proportion of beans to water, and I'd cook them overnight. In the morning, drain them, remove the onion and the kelp, add any flavorings and more water, and cook all day.

Good luck!

[Sayward]

Are you cooking them with salt? Salt will keep them from softening.

[JoyMC]

i soak at least 12 hours, dump the water, then bring to a boil in new water, and simmer until they're soft, which is usually only about 30 minutes - an hour.

i have also heard that after the initial soaking you can drain and put them in the freezer, and the freezing and subsequent defrosting when you need them breaks down the fibers in the same way as the simmering.

i haven't done that, but i do always prepare waaaay more beans than i needed and freeze 1 or 2 cup portions in the freezer, so i have beans as convenient as canned at all times (w/o the BPA).

[Magelet]

I would:
make sure you are using fresh beans (months old is fine. years, maybe not),
soak for 12+ hours with a little baking soda (this neutralizes any acid that may be in the water)
cook in fresh water until soft and THEN add any acid and salt.

(yes, some people can cook beans with salt or acid, and not have them seize up however if your having problems, better to be safe)

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Here's what I do and have never had any problems.

Soak in plenty of water and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice for 12-24 hours. Rinse well. Bring to a boil well covered in water, skim the surface, then turn down to low. Simmer for 4 hours.

This makes them much more digestible too. We can't eat canned beans or we get sick, sick, sick. We can eat these without a single issue.

[cristeen]

I put 3 c of dry beans in a 1/2 gallon jar, then fill it with lukewarm water, let it soak overnight, changing the water several times. By the next morning, the jar is usually full. Drain then dump them in a pot with water to cover plus at least an inch and simmer (not boil!) it until soft - usually close to an hour, sometimes more, depending on the age of the beans.

This makes way more than I can use at once, so once cooked, I scoop out 2 c portions and freeze them - that's about what's in a can.

[texaspeach]

I don't even soak. I put 1lb beans in crockpot, put 12c water over them (sometimes w/ ham hock) and cook on low 12 hrs.

[leahmn12]

It's my understanding that you must bring your beans to a boil at some point in order to denature the lectins present in all beans. These lectins are unhealthy and even poisonous. Kidney beans are the worst. I think I've read that consuming as few as 5 raw kidney beans will cause severe illness (ie severe vomiting, diarrhea, pain). It's not fatal, but not fun either, I don't imagine. It is for this reason that cooking raw beans in a crockpot is not recommended. Bringing your beans to a sustained boil also helps to soften them by breaking them open slightly.

[maotmsmi]

Edited by maotmsmi - 5/21/11 at 12:35pm

[ursusarctos]

OP, it sounds to me like a case of old beans Anyway, if the beans are too old that's the only time I've had that problem, and I also soak 12-24 hours and then simmer for hours without salt or acid. If they're too old, they get soft enough to eat but never tender like non-old beans.

[Earthy Mama]

I've had old beans that wouldn't even soften in a pressure cooker. Normally aged beans take about 20 minutes from hard to soft in the pressure cooker. And, yeah, a pinch of baking soda does wonders.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I put 3 c of dry beans in a 1/2 gallon jar, then fill it with lukewarm water, let it soak overnight, changing the water several times. By the next morning, the jar is usually full. Drain then dump them in a pot with water to cover plus at least an inch and simmer (not boil!) it until soft - usually close to an hour, sometimes more, depending on the age of the beans.

This makes way more than I can use at once, so once cooked, I scoop out 2 c portions and freeze them - that's about what's in a can.

That's what I do. The crockpot works great too. If you have above a bare simmer the beans will split.

[Mpenny1001]

Another one here who doesn't soak. Dump the beans in the crockpot, put in enough cold water to cover by a couple of inches, and cook on high 5-7 hours. I don't put salt in until the end.

I've done this for years and have never had a batch not cook properly, and I just buy the crappy supermarket beans that are probably years old!

[Deir]

Wow! Thanks. If I don't get them right now then there is something seriously wrong with me!

[azmomtoone]

Originally Posted by texaspeach

I don't even soak. I put 1lb beans in crockpot, put 12c water over them (sometimes w/ ham hock) and cook on low 12 hrs.

Me too. Sometimes longer than 12 hrs....usually put them in the evening before, so whatever "overnight" ends up being. That way I can package & freeze the extras (and/or make burritos out of them & freeze) during the day while DH is at work.

[orangewallflower]

Here's what I do:
Soak overnight. In the morning bring them to a boil, change the water and then let them soak 24 more hours. The next morning (or afternoon or evening) I cook them how I want. Don't add salt until they are fully cooked.

[columbusmomma]

How can you get them to sprout, and then can you cook them this way without taking away their "live-ness" ?

[peaceful_mama]

I put mine one--one pound bag in my crockpot for 8 hours on high with 8 cups water. Actually usually they are done in about 6 but they have been left up to 8/overnight and been fine.