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Please help me with dry beans


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While I cook a lot, this is foreign territory for me. I have always bought canned beans.

 

I just did the quick soak according to the directions and the beans are still quite firm. Will they get softer when I cook them or did something go wrong?

 

This batch is for soup, but I want to be able to use dry beans for re-fried beans, chili, baked beans, etc.

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While I cook a lot, this is foreign territory for me. I have always bought canned beans.

 

I just did the quick soak according to the directions and the beans are still quite firm. Will they get softer when I cook them or did something go wrong?

 

This batch is for soup, but I want to be able to use dry beans for re-fried beans, chili, baked beans, etc.

 

What kind of soup are you making? If it will simmer for a couple hours, your beans will be soft enough. The presoak helps to break down the enzymes so the beans are more easily digested, and it also speeds to cooking.

 

If you are used to cooking with canned, you can always pre-cook and then freeze your beans so they are ready when you need them. You would soak them either over night or use the quick soak that you just did, and then simmer them for anywhere from 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs, depending on the kind of bean you have. I wouldn't "boil" them rapidly, though - they will break apart and get all icky; a slow simmer works well. Honestly, though, my favorite way to cook a bunch of them is the crock pot (you still should do the pre-soak, though). In the crock, they rarely ever get too mushy, and they cook more evenly.

 

hth!

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What kind of soup are you making? If it will simmer for a couple hours, your beans will be soft enough. The presoak helps to break down the enzymes so the beans are more easily digested, and it also speeds to cooking.

 

 

 

It's a copycat of Campbell's bean with bacon soup. The recipe, which I have used in the past, cooks in about an hour when using canned beans.

 

I stopped buying canned beans on all varieties that I noticed have sugar added to them. Beans don't need sugar, nor do we!

 

Thanks to everyone that replied. I appreciate it.

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Basic dried beans:

 

Soak overnight, or bring to a boil for 3 minutes, cover and let sit for 1 hour. This is not cooking, this is preparing them to cook.

 

Best method: crockpot. Drain the soaking liquid, dump the beans in the crockpot. Cover with water to a depth of 1" above the level of the beans. Cook on high 4-5 hours. Check the water level once or twice. Add a 1/4 c. or so if it seems dry.

 

Next best method: Drain the soaking liquid, dump the beans in a large pot. Cover with water to a depth of 2" above the level of the beans. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer on low for 2-3 hours (or longer depending on the type of bean). Check occassionally to make sure the water doesn't evaporate. You may need to add a bit.

 

Most important: DO NOT ADD SALT until the last 1/2 hour of cooking time. Salt will toughen up the beans and they'll never soften properly. You can add any other seasonings at the beginning of cooking, as long as they're not some kind of salt based seasoning mix.

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