Cooking Dried Beans and Legumes

Many people are baffled with how to cook dried beans. Relax, it's easy and beans and legumes are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Here are some tips to help you cook better with beans:

• Don't have time to cook dried beans? No problem, dried or canned beans will work interchangeably in most recipes, and you don't need to precook canned beans.
  
  
• Even though they may be dried, the fresher the bean the better -- for flavor and for the amount of nutrients. Fresher dried beans will cook faster than older dried beans, so use the cooking times as a very general guideline. Taste the beans for tenderness early and often during the cooking process.
  
  
• Because bean cooking times can vary so widely from batch to batch, it's best to pre-cook dried beans before using in recipes.
  
  
• Before cooking, rinse the beans and pick through them, removing any small stones that sometimes get mixed in and throwing out any shriveled or discolored beans.
  
  
• Store dried beans in covered plastic food containers.
  
  
• After cooking beans, divide into portions and refrigerate leftovers in their own liquid for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months (longer if you have a vacuum food saver appliance).
  
  
• Reheat cooked beans in the microwave, on the stovetop or even in the oven.

Cooking Method I -- Place beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until beans are tender (usually used with smaller legumes such as lentils, for larger beans see Method II or Quick Soak Method).

Cooking Method II -- Cover beans with cold water and soak overnight or for at least 6 hours. Drain and place in clean water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender.

Quick Soak Method: Cover in cold water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let soak for 2 hours, then simmer until tender.


Favorite Bean Recipes

• Nava Atlas's Aztec Platter (vegan) -- This attractive composed salad is a nourishing meal in and of itself and is so simple to prepare.
• Vegetarian Three Bean Chili (vegan, pictured) -- Hearty and colorful, this chili gets an extra wallop of flavor from chipotle (smoked jalapeno) chile.
• East Indian Dal -- This classic East Indian recipe is usually served over rice.
• James Peterson's Mexican Style Chickpea Salad -- Serve this salad as a side dish at outdoor barbecues
• Betty Fussell's Boston Style Baked Beans -- Here's an authentic New England recipe for Boston's most famous dish from American Regional Cuisine expert Betty Fussell.
• Mark Miller's Black Bean Tamales with Chile Crema -- This innovative and contemporary recipe is steeped in tradition.
• The Hippy Gourmet's Mango Bean Soup (vegan) -- This soup sounds a little strange at first, but what good, new idea doesn’t? Try it, you'll like it!
• Anissa Helou's Pork and Cannellini Bean Stew -- This authentic Turkish recipe has variations around the world.
• Holly Clegg's Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salsa -- You will find yourself making this quick appetizer any time you need a dip.
• Cheri's Cowboy Style Pinto Beans -- This is a fabulous bean recipe -- a little spicy with lots of smoky flavor from the bacon.
• Cheri's Red Beans and Rice -- A gulf coast classic, traditionally served for lunch on Mondays.
• Cheri's Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice (vegan) -- During my 6 year vegetarian stint I had to get creative with some old favorite recipes.
• Cheri's Hoppin' John -- Hoppin' John is a traditional favorite dish to serve on New Year's Eve in the South as black eyed peas eaten at this time are thought to bring luck

Beans Under Pressure!
The pressure cooker is a great time and energy saver when it comes to cooking beans. Click this link for detailed pressure cooker bean cooking instructions and for a time chart for cooking beans in the pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooker Bean Recipes

• Pressure Cooker Spicy Black Beans -- This recipe spices them up with jalapenos and lots of healthy veggies.
• Pressure Cooker Navy Bean Soup -- A quicker pressure cooker version of the classic ham and bean soup.