Cooking easy, delicious and flavorful beans at home has never been easier. A new perspective on how to cook beans at home will convince you to opt for home-cooked every time!
For the longest time, I used to use canned beans. For certain, they’re easy and quick and very convenient. Then I started to learn about homesteading, doing things the old-fashioned way, and also learned that many of the canned beans have BPA in the lining. I wanted to learn how to cook dried beans at home to be a little more frugal and also be careful of my family’s health. And I found it so easy, fun, flavorful, plus I could freeze the extras!
In the past few years, I started to cook beans on the stove. Not only does it fill the house with the most amazing aromas, it’s a lot easier to keep an eye on the beans and manage their timing and level of done-ness. It’s like a fun science experiment.
How To Cook Dried Beans: In-Depth Tutorial
How deep do you want to go into the world of beans? If you’re looking for a great tutorial, definitely check out this post from Naturally Ella, where she covers everything from toxicity to myths about cooking beans. If you’re looking for something simple, here’s my quick tutorial below to make them flavorful every time.
Top Tips for Cooking Dried Beans
- First, definitely pick over your beans before you add them to the pot. You’ll be surprised you may find some dark ones, shriveled ones, and even rocks.
- About cooking time: the age of the bean depends on how long you’ll cook them. Sometimes it’s 50 minutes, sometimes it’s 90. Check them often.
- Lastly, the BEST lesson I learned from Ella is that you treat them like making a stock. Add aromatics (herbs, alliums) and salt (it doesn’t dry them out).
Ready To Make Some Recipes With Your Homemade Beans?
Try Romanian Refried Beans, 2 ways
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Chipotle
How To Cook Beans
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed pot (enameled cast iron works well)
Ingredients
- 1 pound 1 pound beans, soaked overnight in water, then rinsed and drained (such as navy, pinto, black, kidney)
- water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 large carrot
- 1 large stick of celery
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 drizzle neutral oil, optional
Instructions
- First, look over the beans and release any dark or shriveled beans, and add to a heavy bottomed pot (I used an enamel cast iron).
- Next, add the bay leaves, carrot, celery, salt, oil, and enough water to cover by about 2 inches.
- Then, bring to a boil. Skim off any white foamy residue. Cover leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook on medium (Simmer) for about 1 hour.
- Lastly, check the level of the water often, and add some boiling water if they get too dry.
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