Beans. What am I doing wrong?

[mae141]

I've started buying dried beans instead of canned because they are cheaper (so it is MM) and I'm trying not to eat much from cans.

I put half the bag of Navy beans in a bowl of water last night. The bag said just to put them in cold water. That's what I did. They soaked for nearly 24 hours and they are still hard! They've been in the pot boiling now for 30 minutes and aren't really softening. This is probably the third or fourth time I've done this (it was black beans before) and every time they are hard. What the heck am I doing wrong? 

[kimibrighteyes]

When I cook beans, I use a slow cooker and cook overnight (or during day). No need to pre-soak with that method and so easy

[FrozenSunshine]

I soak mine over night. Then rinse, add water and the beans in a pot and bring to a boil and then simmer for over an hour, some times it's an hour sometimes it's 1 1/2 hours before they are ready.

[audette]

Were they still submerged in the water this morning?

Regardless, give them another hour to cook and see if they are still hard.

[Deleted]

This is why I hate cooking beans. It takes too damn long. Ditto PP- I only make them in the crockpot now.

[mae141]

They are starting to get soft now! It's been an hour.

Audette, they were still submerged in the morning.

Thanks for the help evryone! I guess I'll stick to the crock from now on...

[IrishBelle]

I'm cooking black beans now. Cooking time is at least an hour, sometimes a lot more, depending in the type of bean.

[mae141]

I guess the cooking time is just longer than I though it would be. All the recipes I find say soak them overnight and then cook for 20 minutes. Now I know.

[thoseareradishes]

I think most beans, after soaking, take at least an hour to cook. Some take a lot longer- I think chickpeas can take 2 or more hours. Lentils don't take as long- 20-40 minutes depending on the type- and you don't have to soak them.

I cook black beans in the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours.

[Nonny]

Be very careful if you cook kidney beans in the crock pot. We got one of those homemade soup in a jar deals that involved soaking and microwaving dry kidney beans for like 10 minutes, and then doing a slow cook in the crock pot for several hours. The beans were still hard when the soup was "done" and I warned my H not to eat them, thinking he'd get a stomach ache (my experience from undercooked lentils). He ate them anyway and then suffered for two days with the worst food poisoning ever.

Apparently undercooked kidney beans are pretty toxic: www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071092.htm

Cooking them in a crock pot for not long enough can actually make them more toxic.

[persa]

Jan 22, 2013 22:03:31 GMT -5 @246baje said:

You can't? I've had the iPhone app and the Android app and they both have a "modify" option

[ellipses84]

I had the same issue, I even tried soaking them for a lot longer. I'm going to try the crock pot next time.

[beyoncepadthai]

Crock pot is the way to go. Rinse the beans, put them in the crock, cover with water by at least 1 inch, and let them go to town. A one-pound bag of beans fits nicely in a 4.5-quart crock. I use my 6-quart crock for a 2-pound bag.

[explorer2001]

The only dry bean recipe I make is soak over night, then cook all day the next day. Usually after the over night part, you can tell which beans are going to soften/have started to soften and which are going to stay rock hard, so I pitch the rock hard ones.

[fromage]

Did you add salt into the cooking water? That will prevent the beans from softening. 

Even after soaking, I definitely have to cook them longer than 30 minutes. Usually an hour to an hour and a half. 

[kimibrighteyes]

I always add salt to the cooking water and have never had a problem with hard beans, but I do use a crockpot (or pressure cooker if I am in a rush)

[jena]

Old beans take a lot longer to cook and really old ones might not ever soften. I tried to cook one of those beans in a jar that my mom had for a few years. Smelled delicious, but they were inedible rocks.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using proboards

[isabel]

I've never cooked dried beans for less than a couple of hours. I also soak them overnight. I like them really soft. The crockpot is probably your friend for this.

[changedname]

For those of you that are cooking a whole bag of beans in the crockpot - how long do they keep after cooked? Seems like a lot of beans to eat in one week. Can I freeze them?

[dirtyred]

Soaking beans doesn't make them soft, but they do absorb water so they will cook faster.

Discard the soaking water, add new water to at least an inch over the top of the beans, and boil for one hour, then reduce and simmer until tender.  Depending on the bean, this could be up to three hours.

[Deleted]

I cook 2 bags at a time in the crockpot and then freeze them into baggies. They last a while. I would think months but i use at least a bag a week so mine only last 2 months.

[mrssandro]

This is always a argument with DH and I. I tell him to soak for 24 hours and he doesn't because he says it's best just to boil them on high for a 1-2 hours. To me they just don't come out soft enough. I think the best method is soaking over night and then in a crockpot all day the next day on a nice slow simmer.

[jek]

I'm so glad someone asked this. I tried dry beans for the first time too, and although I soaked overnight and cooked for 8 hours in the crockpot, every now and then I came across a bean that was hard and horrible. The only thing I could think of was that maybe the liquid in the crock pot didn't quite cover every bean (I made chili so that is a possibility). I'm scared to use those beans again though

[Deleted]

Jan 23, 2013 7:28:19 GMT -5 changedname said:

For those of you that are cooking a whole bag of beans in the crockpot - how long do they keep after cooked? Seems like a lot of beans to eat in one week. Can I freeze them?

Yes, you can freeze them. A few months ago, I made a huge vat of pinto beans with bacon. There was enough to feed the whole neighborhood. I packed the leftovers into FoodSaver bags, then froze them. I pulled one out yesterday for lunch, and it was just as good as the day I made it.

If you have a FoodSaver, the beans should keep in the freezer for several months. Without one, package them really well, and they should last for at least a month.

[definitelyO]

I soak them overnight and then cook them in the crock pot with whatever the meal is - soup/chili, etc... it does seem to take a long time to me.

[pinkdutchtulips]

i do mine in the crock pot - dry beans w/ enough water/broth to cover them by an inch and cook on low all.day.long - i've never had hard beans that way.

[chickadee77]

Thanks for the tricks! I've NEVER had any luck with dry beans, and didn't realize that the whole 20 minute cooking thing was bunk. I'll give them another try in the crock pot. Thanks!

[IrishBelle]

Jan 23, 2013 7:28:19 GMT -5 changedname said:

For those of you that are cooking a whole bag of beans in the crockpot - how long do they keep after cooked? Seems like a lot of beans to eat in one week. Can I freeze them?

I freeze mine all the time.  I like to cook a big batch and freeze in ziploc bags rather than cooking small batches more often.  Each bag would be roughly the equivalent of one can.

[changedname]

Fantastic - I am going to start buying dried beans. I always buy cans and use about 3 cans a week - not very MM or good for you. thanks for all the tips!