Forums: January 2011 Kickstart Forum: The scoop on Beans & More
Created on: 01/08/11 09:02 AM Views: 3791 Replies: 18
cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 9:02 AM HI All, I am doing a short soak on a pound of navy beans & then cooking them to be ready for lunch. The rest will go in the freezer to be available on short notice. So here is my question... I see on several bags of beans the directions say.. "cook beans till tender" The trouble with that is beans take different amounts of time... some take 2 hours.. some take an hour? I can't plan a meal or even soup with those directions. I don't want to overcook lentils.... or undercook white beans.. I have no idea why they don't tell you on the package! Even boil about...would be helpful. So how long do each type take to boil to tender? white beans navy beans peas barley dried red beans black beans so many and more.. please help..
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djunamod Joined: 01/02/11 Posts: 55	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 9:19 AM I'm sure others will have better answers than I do, but when I cook beans, I usually do it like I do pasta - I let the beans boil and check them every so often by fishing out a few to taste them to see if they are tender to my liking. So I don't go by a specific time - I just go by taste. Sorry if that's not a great response to your question! Djuna
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fiji51904 Joined: 01/12/10 Location: Ontario, CA Posts: 98	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 9:43 AM I'd love to see a time table as well! I've started cooking them in my crock pot so that I can leave the house and my stove isn't tied up all afternoon but even that is done on an as we go time schedule. Can't wait to see some answers to this one! Heidi Heidi
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:04 AM i found this on the net.. this is helpful. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/driedbeantip.htm
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chefcrae Joined: 01/02/11 Posts: 14	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:05 AM I am a culinary student and "the how long does it cook?" is constantly asked by students. The response that is given every single time from the Chefs is "when its done". There is no time table only guidelines. There are too many variables to be exact.Your best bet is a pressure cooker. Other than that cook on a simmer, do not add salt during cooking and prepare ahead of time.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:16 AM Hubby's way of testing is to stir the beans - if they make little clattery noises, they're still hard. Once they stop making noise, he fishes a couple and checks on them. Also, if we plan on cooking them into a soup or chili we make sure not to get them too cooked right off or they get mushy. As far as timing for dinner and such, we usually cook up a big batch of beans when we've got time (like on a snowy Saturday) and put them, still hot, into glass jars (like washed out PB jars with screw on lids). As they cool, they somewhat seal (almost like water bath canning, but I wouldn't store them on a shelf). Then we put them in the fridge to pull out on a moment's notice whenever we need them. We usually do two or three meals' worth at one time (soup, chili, rice/beans/greens) and often we have two or three types in the fridge at once (navy beans for soups, black beans for chili and patties, garbanzos for hummus, salads, snacks). --Deb R
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:37 AM This may be useful: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/guides/beans.php. Basically, it can be one to two hours cooking for most beans (assuming you soaked them). Peas and lentils can be as fast as 30 to 45 minutes (I find red lentils cook even faster than that). I usually have a hard time myself timing beans. So I soak for at least 8 hours and start cooking them a couple of hours before dinner time. I often do what you mentioned in the beginning - cook them a day or more in advance and then use them for a recipe as needed. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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veggies4me Joined: 01/05/11 Posts: 172	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:51 AM I have never soaked and cooked dried beans. I just open a can and rinse them. I guess it would be healthier to used dry beans, but somehow it seems a little intimidating to me and when would I have time? Any encouraging words?
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Susan Levin Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:56 AM Canned beans are great too! I use those as well. Keep them in my pantry all the time. Dried beans/peas/lentils are less expensive which is why I like to use them. But I totally understand the time issue. I've gotten better about remembering to soak them which does shorten cooking times. Susan Levin, MS, RD PCRM Director of Nutrition Education
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BrownSuga Joined: 12/30/10 Posts: 24	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 11:56 AM I was doing the same thing prior to this program. Opening up a can, I mean, but that can get a little pricey. So a couple of years back someone gave me a crock pot and that's what I used until the beans weren't crunchy anymore. Soaking the beans takes away the gassy part that comes from not soaking the beans. I tried to cook enough where I could eat the same thing for a while (a few days I mean). Makes it a little easier to stick to a plan. This plan is working a little better for me because my daughters are basically eating the same meals. It takes longer in a crock pot but you can leave it cooking first thing and come back to it later if you turn it on low. The person that said that beans are ready when they are done, I agree with him/her.
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cathyb Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 149	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 4:11 PM Many cookbooks have cooking time charts for beans. I cook up big batches, then freeze them in pint size freezer containers. I often use a pressure cooker, but I can't cook as many at once.
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 5:07 PM @chefcrae..i just needed to know about when to start checking them.. "about 1 1/2 to two hours" It's not like cake.. 28-30 min.. even that could be wrong.. but it lets me know it wont be done in 20 min. So veggies4me... i choose to use a mixture of canned and bagged beans.. canned when i don't plan ahead or want something different quick.. I really like the bagged beans because they don't have the sodium! I don't have to watch sodium, and i don't want to ever..most food tastes better without it. Also they have stuff in the cans to keep the beans firm.. Anyway the bags are cheaper by far... it's not hard at all.. just try it.. what can really go wrong? I would try black beans first and then maybe make some black bean patties... you can freeze the extra patties to make your life easier another day.. So just cover the beans with water & add a few inches in a large stock pot, put the cover on the pot and go to bed. They soak at least 6 hours. When you get up drain them, rinse them. I wash out the stock pot.. then just about fill it with water, add the beans.. cook 60-90 mins.. till they will squish between your fingers and are tender.. drain, rinse.. they are done and ready for your recipe. instructions always say stuff.. like let the beans soak in 3x their volume. humpfh ... just fill the big pot with water.. it's cheap... no need to measure... too little would be bad.. you don't want to come out in the morning and find no water w/plump beans.. then they are not soaking..
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philocrates Joined: 03/18/10 Posts: 47	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 6:48 PM This has both grains and beans. I remember seeing Barley in your requests. I usually quick soak instead of the overnight soaks. Do remember that some beans are toxic half cooked. A couple won't hurt but a full serving might. http://www.vegparadise.com/charts.html I do keep canned on hand but dried then cooked at home is not only cheaper but healthier. If using canned remember to rinse, rinse and rinse again because of the sodium. I think Bryanna Grogan has something about this on her site if you search her name or maybe I'm just remembering it from her cookbooks. I also need to note that I don't presoak for crockpot. I assemble and let cook until done. [edited for that]
	Edited 01/08/11 6:50 PM Quote | Link | Top | Bottom
BrownSuga Joined: 12/30/10 Posts: 24	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 6:48 PM When I place them in the crock pot, I just keep going back and stirring them. I check them until they are no longer crunchy. Soft but not mushy.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 7:30 PM cch22 wrote: I would try black beans first and then maybe make some black bean patties... you can freeze the extra patties to make your life easier another day.. Or you could use the cooked bean patties as a crumble instead of buying the pre-made veg crumbles --Deb R
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2072	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 7:30 PM cch22 wrote: I would try black beans first and then maybe make some black bean patties... you can freeze the extra patties to make your life easier another day.. Or you could use the cooked bean patties as a crumble instead of buying the pre-made veg crumbles --Deb R
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 7:42 PM that is a good idea deb.. thanks for reminding me.. and now i told hubby.. so there is even a better chance to remember it.. i have to try the recipe from the vegacon cookbook..
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veggies4me Joined: 01/05/11 Posts: 172	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 8:09 PM Thanks for all the instructions and tips on cooking dried beans. Considering my husband and I both have HBP we certainly would like to avoid the salt. I am going to give cooking the dried beans a try this week. Thanks again.
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Wild4Stars Joined: 12/27/09 Location: Florida Posts: 832	RE: The scoop on Beans & More Posted Monday, January 10, 2011 at 5:48 PM I mostly cook beans in the crockpot. About 6 hours. I often cook a mixed variety of beans. Garbanzos take longer, lentils take less time. All the others fall somewhere in between. When I cook mixed beans I think it's nice that some of the beans are pretty soft, some of the beans are firmer. A crockpot is pretty forgiving, give or take an hour. That's why I like it for beans. I'd prefer they be a bit over cooked, rather than under cooked. If they're done before I'm ready to eat I'll turn the crockpot off and they stay good and hot for at least an hour. Vikki ~ Wild4Stars@gmail.com
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