How to Cook Beans

There was a time when I was TERRIFIED of making beans from scratch. First, they took waaaay too much time. Second, they never seemed to cook all the way. And Third, why not just buy those little canned puppies? Well, the answer is that cooking your own beans is MUCH cheaper than buying canned (they can cost as much as a dollar or more per can!). Cooking dry beans takes a little more time than just popping open a tin can, but once you get the hang of it, cooking beans doesn't have to be all that time consuming. Most of the time the beans are doing their own thing - soaking or cooking - and don't require you to do anything as they work in the background.

Thanks to Vegan Coach, I have not only learned how to cook beans, I LOVE to cook beans! It's very simple:

Sort - measure and sort the beans, taking out any dirt, debris or mangled little beans so they don't find their way into your dish.

Soak - Soak in cold water overnight. The beans will about double in size, so be sure to give them plenty of water. 

Prep - Drain and rinse the beans

Cook - Boil the beans over direct heat.

The amount of time needed to cook the beans varies. I find that black beans cook the fastest, usually in less than an hour. Other beans, like red kidney beans, can take an hour and a half or longer. To test for doneness, cool one of the beans under cold running tap water, then smush it between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. If it squishes, the beans are done. If not, cook for another 15 minutes and test again.

When finished cooking, drain and rinse thoroughly. If storing in the refrigerator or freezer, reserve some of the cooking liquid for storage. 

Note: Do NOT add salt or seasonings to the beans until they are finished cooking. Salt causes the beans not to cook all the way (yes, this was part of my problem in the past). If you want to season the beans, do so at the end of the cooking cycle. :~)