Kitchen

[house cat]

I don't know if anyone watched 10 Dollar Dinners this week. She made sautéed canneloni beans. She said she used dry beans, but she took them out of the fridge and they appeared to be already cooked.

Is there a rule of thumb for cooking with dried beans? I usually used canned beans, but I'd like to avoid the salt and preservatives.

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you.

[brandiwine]

Most dried beans need to be soaked (overnight, with pressure cooking, or boiling) prior to cooking. Instructions are on the packages or in a general cookbook, like Betty Crocker. This is not difficult, just requires a little planning. I make many different types of beans and make my own refried for an amazing taste without all the salt, etc. They freeze great! Good luck!

[depglass]

She had to have cooked them up in advance. Soak overnight in water, use a lot as some will be absorbed. Some people bring to a boil first, then soak. Simmer for hours, the number of hours will depend more on the age of the dried beans than anything else. Just keep testing them once an hour until you are happy with them. I once knew a bean farmer so I got a bunch of them for free, several years' worth. Each year they took a little longer to get tender. I wouldn't be surprised if they found some in the pyramids, they will last forever if kept dry.

[bluejeansluvr]

Hi house cat! If she took them out of the fridge, maybe she had them in there soaking in water overnight in a bowl or container, and so that is why they looked cooked to you. They had absorbed the water.

When I am making something with dried beans, I leave them to soak overnight. When I make red beans and rice, I put my red beans in a dutch oven, fill with water and cover. Let them soak overnight.

[ctinaw]

Soaking dry beans helps soften them up ad break down some of the starches that give people the digestive issues associated with beans. You can soak them for up to 8 hours - but I wouldn't soak them longer than that as they can begin to ferment and thus - add back again to those digestive issues. The fastest and easiest way to get dry beans going is to cover in cold water in a pot and bring them to a boil. Then remove them from the water and let them sit for 2 hours. And voila - they should be good to go.

Lentils do not require pre-cooking.

[wagirl]

If you have the time to use dried beans, great, but if you don't, canned ones are just fine. I buy organic ones that only have ingredients I can read, usually salt and water. Just rinse them off before using. I spend maybe $1.69 for one can of organic beans. They are so much easier.

[house cat]

On 1/9/2014 ctinaw said:

Soaking dry beans helps soften them up ad break down some of the starches that give people the digestive issues associated with beans. You can soak them for up to 8 hours - but I wouldn't soak them longer than that as they can begin to ferment and thus - add back again to those digestive issues. The fastest and easiest way to get dry beans going is to cover in cold water in a pot and bring them to a boil. Then remove them from the water and let them sit for 2 hours. And voila - they should be good to go.

Lentils do not require pre-cooking.

I've never heard of this technique. Very interesting...

[Clover29]

I saw that show yesterday. I too was surprised that the beans looked cooked when they came out of the fridge yet she didn't say whether they were or not. She should have explained more about the beans, because it's dangerous to eat beans that haven't been cooked properly (soaked, and then boiled for at least ten minutes). It's more of a problem with kidney beans than other beans, but it's still something I wish she'd mentioned.

[camochef]

House cat,

Almost all dried beans contain toxins. Red Kidney beans and Soya beans are perhaps the worse, but all beans should be boiled for at least 10 minutes before being drained and cooked further.

This doesn't apply to canned beans as they have already been cooked.

Dried beans however require a little more special attention. I usually soak mine overnight, draining a few times during the soaking period and replacing the water. There are two schools on adding salt. Many say salt causes beans to get tough and never get tender. Others like cooks illustrated/cooks country recommend soaking them in salted water. I soak mine in salted water.

After soaking overnight I boil them for 10 minutes, then drain and replace with fresh water. Either boil till tender or place them in pressure cooker, (my preferred method), and gook until tender.

I recommend searching online about "beans-toxins" or "toxins in beans" as there are many sites with useful information. Toxins are not gas, which is another effect beans have on humans and for that Savory can be a useful herb to help.

Yes canned beans are much easier to use, but you won't be able to find many varieties and they generally are without much texture (mushy) and not near as tasty.

Enjoy!

Camo

[KYToby]

Maybe people should refer to the recipe on the network's website before speculating. It is easy to miss bits of information when watching the shows due to editing or distraction.