Kitchen

[hopi]

Late yesterday I made black beans, did the 5 bean taste test and they seemed done. Today tasted  a half a cup and the flavorings were delicious but the majority of the beans seemed to harder than they should be . Basically did not cook long enough.
Already salted them and added apple cider vinegar when I thought the dish was done.
Is there anyway I can get them softer without exploding them?

[Lacey1]

Beans are funny. If you buy old beans, they never seem to soften-no matter how long you cook them.

[KingstonsMom]

@hopi

I would cook them more on the stovetop on a low simmer until they pass your taste test for doneness.

A low simmer won't make them explode or cook apart.

You may need to adjust your seasonings once they are close to the doneness you want.

[geezerette]

I'd go with IG's suggestion.

I think black beans are tricky.  I've been making them for eons, and every time I think they're done to perfection, they're still hard.  So I always cook them longer than what I think I should have to.  And I try at least a whole teaspoon full at a time for my taste tests.

[duster95]

I heard on some cooking show that it is usually better to buy canned beans instead of fresh/dry beans because the longer they sit on the shelf, the drier they get.  That really surprised me.  I never expected to hear a chef saying to buy canned beans. LOL  

That said, I still like to buy a bag of black beans and cook them in the pressure cooker.  My favorite!

[KingstonsMom]

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@geezerette wrote:

I'd go with IG's suggestion.

I think black beans are tricky.  I've been making them for eons, and every time I think they're done to perfection, they're still hard.  So I always cook them longer than what I think I should have to.  And I try at least a whole teaspoon full at a time for my taste tests.

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@geezerette

And when you're taste testing, always select the largest ones/biggest pieces to test!

[KingstonsMom]

I'm a southern girl and I don't think I've actually ever had black beans, must be a midwestern thing.

But I sure as heck know my dried beans; dried black eye peas w/ham and dried lima beans w/ham! LOL!

[geezerette]

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@KingstonsMom wrote:

I'm a southern girl and I don't think I've actually ever had black beans, must be a midwestern thing.

But I sure as heck know my dried beans; dried black eye peas w/ham and dried lima beans w/ham! LOL!

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I grew up in the upper Midwest, moved to the south, then the west, and now am back in the south.  I got acquainted with black beans out in the western desert and fell in love at first bite.  Up north our main beans were Northern (white) beans, down here they're mainly pintos.  I like most beans.

Also, I soak my beans in a large pot, making sure the water covers all the beans even after they've absorbed some of the water, for two days.  In the frig, of course.  Soak overnight at minimum, but then the cooking time is longer.  

[Strictly Sky]

I do a quick soak of dry beans. Bringing them to a boil, turning off the heat and letting them sit for an hour or two. When beans are very old, they just won't soften. I had that issue with some garbanzo beans when making some chole a few weeks ago. Hard water can also be the culprit.

Next time try adding a pinch of baking soda to the beans during the soak. Rinse them after soaking. Baking soda can reduce some of the B vitamin in the beans though. And make sure to check the beans during cooking as they can soften up quicker than you'd expect.

[Sooner]

I love black beans because they hold together and don't get mushy.  I love them!