HOW TO: Cooking Dried Beans

HOW TO: Cooking Dried Beans

I have a secret for you: Cooking your own beans from scratch is extremely easy. It will also save you money when you compare buying a bag of dried beans to buying a can of beans. Also, you save yourself from consuming the chemicals that line cans. 

I cook a big bag all at once and then freeze 2 Cup portion sizes in sandwich bags. When my recipe calls for beans, I pull one out from the freezer and run some hot water over them to defrost. They will taste better when you know that you were the one to make them. 

Make these on a weekend when you will be home for a few hours. They do not take a lot of actual hands on time. Most of the time is spent soaking the beans. 

I used black beans for this recipe, but it should work for almost any dried bean. Keep an eye on the beans as they cook and you will be good to go! 

STEP ONE: Put the beans in a large bowl. You will want a big bowl because the beans will expand. Put enough water to cover the beans by a couple of inches. 

STEP TWO: Soak beans overnight. Approximately 12 hours, but more hours will not hurt them.  

STEP THREE: Pour the beans into a colander to drain the water. 

STEP FOUR: Put the beans into a large pot. Fill so water is 2-3 inches above the beans. 

STEP FIVE: Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Depending how many beans you have, this might take a little bit. Patience. If it feels that it is taking too long, cover with a lid- leaving a gap. 

STEP SIX: Cover with lid- keeping it slightly ajar (similar to the picture above). Once brought to a boil, turn down to medium-low and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Start checking the beans at 1 hour to see if they are soft enough. Cooking time can go up to 2 hours. Make sure beans are constantly covered with water. 

STEP SEVEN: Once beans are cooked to your liking, drain again in the colander. 

STEP EIGHT: Once cooled, use a measuring cup to spoon them into individual bags. I put 2 Cups at a time into a sandwich bag. Lay flat and then freeze. 

 Once you have all your beans in their bags, I stack them and then put into the freezer. Next time your recipe calls for beans, just grab one from the freezer and thaw with some hot water.