The KInd Life Community Forum
Use this space to share stories, exchange ideas, ask questions, and contribute to our growing community!
I need help with beans
Started
by Lilash
on June 27, 2012
I wanted to start cooking my own beans and start using less canned; but I need some advice on how to cook them. Do you guys just have beans soaking all the time so you can cook them whenever? or do you plan ahead?
Any advice would be great!!
Hi there ! You can get dried beans in the bulk department of your health food store.Soak them (not ALL of them) overnight in a big bowl of water with a teapsoon sof baking soda.The baking soda will cut down the soaking time and also take out some of gaseous properties of the beans.Next morning,thoroughly rinse and drain the beans,about 3 minutes.If you are not using them right away,store in a covered glass container in your refrigerator.
When cooking larger beans,such as garbanzo,azuki,black,navy,pinto,etc, make sure to stand alongside and skim off the bubbles that come off when cooking.This is more excess gassy matter that you don't want to ingest.Commercial,canned beans are often not thoroughly soaked and cooked,so that's yet another reason not to buy them!
Let me know how it goes! I'm making hummus tonight!
Namaste,
Tajna
@Tajna: thank you so much! I'm going to try this!
Personally, I cook a few different kind of beans and I keep a small part in my fridge and the rest of them goes right in the freezer. That way, I always have fresh beans. To defrost them, I just soak them in warm water and they defrost in a few minutes. :)
I make a big pot of beans every week (various kinds) I soak them the night before.
My favorite is red beans. I skim the foam off the top when it starts to cook also. My sister gave me recipe book all about beans. Other favs are black beans, lima beans and black eyed peas.
Mark S., do you happen to have the name of that recipe book about the beans?
Hi there,
First, check to see if the beans you have purchased
aresmooth, firm, uniform in size and color (the colors of the beans should be bright). After inspecting,rinse them, put them in a large bowl and fill with cold water.
Remember water amount should be three times the amount of beans measured. I have read one easy recipe of beans while surfing online at the Sheffafoods website, which taste delicious. In fact, you should also try it at home:
Cook the beans with a mix of finely diced onions, celery and carrots, sautéed in some kind of fat—often olive oil, but also bacon drippings or even freshly rendered lard works well.
7 Comments