Kitchen Tip #4: How to Cook Dried Beans

 With food prices increasingly on the rise, I'm finding myself cutting back more and more on expensive proteins like meat and cheese and either substituting with beans or combining the two to make a meal go further. Dried beans are probably the most cost-effective meal-planning option, and they are incredibly versatile and healthy. 

A great way to cut food costs is to institute a meatless meal one or more nights a week. Every Wednesday is "bean night" at our house. {Doesn't that make you want to come to our house for supper?} My family loves beans, and if you were to stop by on a Wednesday night, you'd find us chowing down on a pot of either pintos or Great Northern (white) beans with cornbread. When we have lots of kale in the garden, I'll cook up some greens to go with our beans, too. And when I crave something less "Southern," I'll mix it up and cook some black or red chili beans to use in burritos, quesadillas, or chili; to go with rice; or as a side dish.

I know the thought of cooking beans might seem daunting to new cooks, but if you're serious about saving money (and you like beans), then I encourage you to give it a shot.  You really can't mess them up.

Here's a super-easy tutorial for cooking dried beans including pintos, black beans, red beans, or Great Northern (white) beans. There are two options for cooking dried beans: (1) the Overnight Soak (when you know beans are on tomorrow's menu and have 8 hours or more to prep) & (2) the Quick Soak (when you totally forget to soak them overnight or decide at lunch time that you want beans for supper).

For both options: 

1. Rinse your beans! Bagged beans are often very dirty and contain rocks, dirt, and other debris, so wash them multiple times until the drained water no longer contains dirt and debris.

 2. Put rinsed beans into a large cooking pot. Remember that the beans will swell, so use a big pot.

For Overnight Soak: 
1. To 1 pound of dried beans, add 6-8 cups of cold water. Let stand overnight or at least 8 hours. {Notice how the beans have swelled, nearly doubling their original size.}

 2. In the morning (or after 8 hours), drain the water from the beans and rinse once again.

  
For Quick Soak:

1. To 1 pound of dried beans, add 6-8 cups of water.  Bring water to a rapid boil (where you can't stir the bubbles down); and boil for 2 minutes.


2. Remove pot from heat. Cover with lid, and let stand for 1 hour.

3.  Drain water and rinse beans again.

Cooking Directions following Overnight Soak or Quick Soak:

1. Add 6 cups of water to beans.  Also, add any spices, onions, or meat (not salt at this point).  If I'm planning to use the leftover beans for chili one night, then I will go ahead and add onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano to my beans while they're cooking.  That way they're already seasoned when I go to make my chili.  My mom loves to use thyme with her beans.  Play around and find what you like, or simply stick with salt and pepper.


Also, call me a Southerner (I am!), but I'm a firm believer in adding a little bit of bacon (or bacon grease), ham, salt pork, smoked turkey, or any smoked meat to the pot. Whatever needs to be used up, whether in the freezer or fridge gets added.  If in a pinch, my mom uses bacon bits (real not imitation).  Today, I unloaded a hunk of ham left over from Christmas.  The smoky flavor sends the beans over the top.

2. Simmer gently (not boiling) with the lid on until beans reach your desired consistency.  I like mine very soft and mushy, so I cook them all down on really low heat.  But generally they will be ready to eat in 1-2 hours. Sometimes I'll add carrots or new potatoes while the beans simmer.

3. Season with salt & pepper to taste.  {I don't salt my beans until AFTER they've finished cooking and are tender because I've read that salt makes the beans tougher if added while they're still cooking.  However, my mom always seasons her beans with salt before she cooks them and has never noticed any toughness.}  At this point, you could also add canned tomatoes.  {Be sure not to add any acidic ingredients to beans before they've cooked as they will never get tender.}

Enjoy!

If you've never cooked dried beans, let me encourage you to give it a try.  It really is very easy to do, and you will find that you can save a lot of money at the grocery store by incorporating more beans into your menu.

Do you cook dried beans?  If so, how do you like to prepare them, and what do you do with your leftovers?

Keri

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