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Are dry beans cheaper?

post #1 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
We are on wic we get free dry beans but as I was reading the back package on how to prepare them, I was shocked to see that you have to cook them for TEN hours. Arent you spending more on electricity by the time you do that, then you would be on just buying canned beans?
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post #2 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:19pm
I can make WAY more beans by buying dried (remmeber they puff up) so for example I can buy a bag of beans (roughly a crock pot full when done) for .99 but each can of ready beans for .89 each so roughly the same amt of canned beans would be about 4-5 dollars does that make sense? I use a crock pot which really uses very littel energy, I also have a electric pressure cooker (25 minutes from dried for most beans)
post #3 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:21pm
What kind of beans do you need to cook for ten hours? I usually soak mine overnight and then cook for maybe two hours. I've never heard of cooking beans for ten hours, unless you use a crockpot on the low setting and even then it shouldn't take that long.
post #4 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:34pm
The only time I'd need to cook dried beans for eight hours or so is in the crockpot on low, and crockpots are energy efficient. I have a large one and can do two pounds of beans at once, which is enough for many meals. I freeze the beans in serving sized containers.
post #5 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:46pm
I dump them in the slow cooker on high in the morning when I first get up and they are ready to be cooked eight hours later. Then I cook them on high with the seasonings in the iron dutch oven (with a lid, not as good as a pressure cooker but pretty fast) for just 30 minutes if they are small. Easy-peasy.

But you can also soak overnight and then cook for two hours.
post #6 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:48pm
I will look for the link I have but as I recall a crock pot only costs about 2 cents an hour in electricity. I do my beans that way and store in the deep freeze for later.
post #7 of 10
9/27/10 at 3:51pm
What kind of bean needs to cook for 10 hrs (maybe it was a typo on the bag)??? I usually soak mine then cook them on the stove for about 2 hrs, or you can pressure cook them for about 30 min ( I have an electric one)
post #8 of 10
9/27/10 at 4:39pm
Kind of off topic, but my WIC lets me get canned beans instead of dried, and I buy dried beans myself because they are way cheaper than dried.

You can usually presoak beans instead of cooking them for so long.
post #9 of 10
9/27/10 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemore View Post
We are on wic we get free dry beans but as I was reading the back package on how to prepare them, I was shocked to see that you have to cook them for TEN hours. Arent you spending more on electricity by the time you do that, then you would be on just buying canned beans?
Are you sure it was cook and not soak? Either you need to soak beans in unheated water for a certain number of hours (see bag for specifics) or you need to bring them to boiling for a couple of minutes then soak for about 1-2 hours.

Once you do either of the above, you can cook with them. Most bean recipes will be done in 60-90 minutes, although they can generally be held for a lot longer.

The cheap canned beans tend to be high in sodium and I always find they are pretty grossly mushy.
post #10 of 10
9/27/10 at 7:29pm
Plus dried beans taste so much better than canned beans. I always add a splash or oil, oregano, chopped onion and garlic to my pinto beans. I salt when they are fully cooked. Nothing like a steaming bowl of beans with homemade tortillas. So much cheaper and tastier!