How do you cook dried beans so they are really tender?

[Jennefer@SSA]

Is there a trick to this? I have always used canned beans but am wanting move away from processed foods as much as possible. I have cooked dried beans a few times but they are always a little harder than I would like them to be. Should I soak them longer (usually put them to soak before I go to bed and then into the crock pot the next morning)

Here is the last recipe I tried. It was *wonderful* - just the beans were a little tough.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Smokey-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx

TIA!

[KristineIN]

I never soak my beans, I usually cook them in the crockpot a few hours until they are tender. I have better luck with dry chili beans & dry black beans. I'll be curious to see what other say.

Kristine

[kalanamak]

fillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllller

[Lisa at Home]

Not complicated advice. Just cook them to death. For hours.:o

~Lisa

[Claire]

I have cooked dried beans a few times but they are always a little harder than I would like them to be.

How old are the beans? Beans that are over a year old may never soften up within a reasonable amount of time. Some websites recommend adding 1/2 tsp of baking soda to the soaking water if your beans are very old.

Also, is your water hard? Hard water interferes with softening.

There was a thread on the old boards about cooking beans that had a lot of contradictory advice. I ended up Googling the topic and reached my own conclusions about best practice. This includes (1) adding salt to the soaking water. Some people claim salt impedes softening, but someone else did actual comparison tests and found that it did not impede softening and improved the flavor. (2) Not adding any acid (vinegar, tomatoes) until after the beans are soft. Unlike salt, acids do interfere with beans softening up.

[Amy in NH]

I don't. I've tried a few times, but they never come out right. Maybe my water was too hard, or the beans were too old. I don't know what I was doing wrong. Now, I just buy them canned by the case from co-op.

[kaylk in tx]

i make these for my dh to take to work every so often... he likes his food pretty spicy...

soak beans overnight, rinse, place in crockpot.
add 1 can diced or stewed tomatoes.
1/4 c chili powder.
5 jalapenos.
1/2 an onion.
water to cover.
add any leftover ham.

cook all day, 1/2 on high, 1/2 on low.
usually works here...

hth
kay

[Karin]

We'd get far too gaseous in our house if we didn't soak, drain the soak water and cook with new water. Learned that tip from The Bean Bible, which is a very helpful book when it comes to how long to soak different types of beans, to cook, etc.

[Jennefer@SSA]

:)

[Laura Corin]

It toughens up the skins.

Laura

[momo4]

Soak legumes in plenty of water that has been brought to a simmer and poured over the beans; add about 1/4 cup of something acidic (lemon juice, vingear or whey) to black beans, lentils and fava beans but soak
other types of beans (white beans, brown beans and dried peas) in
plain water--preferably soft water or water with a pinch of baking
soda added. Drain, rinse and add more water at least once during the process. I soak for 24hrs

After soaking, drain the beans and rinse well, then add to a pot
with more water and bring to a simmer, or put into a crock pot. If digestibility is a problem for you, kombu added to the pot should take care of any pesky oligosaccharides still lurking. Cook those beans gently until
completely tender. Just keep checking them.

The following recipes will transform the humble legume into a
delectable, body-and-soul- satisfying dish of epicurean proportion.
And very much worthy of polite society.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I believe this is THE most important advice. Never salt them until they're cooked. Then, season them and let them simmer a little longer, to absorb the flavors.