Is it time for you to consider switching from canned beans to dried beans?
Here are seven reasons to make the switch. Number One – Dried beans are easier on the budget and these days that’s always a plus. Number 2 – You control the sodium content when you soak and cook dried beans. For some people that is a very big reason. Cooking your own dried beans is an easy way to cut extra sodium from your diet. Number 3 – Dried beans you make yourself just taste better. Try canned and home cooked side by side and taste the difference! Number 4 – Canned beans are processed, preserved, and have added chemicals. Dried beans are only dried and less processing means healthier. Number 5 – Enviornmentally speaking, dried beans win hands down. There is less engery used to produce them, less engery to recycle the packaging, and less material used to make the packaging. Number 6 & 7 – Dried beans also give you more cooking control and require less storage space. Two more reasons to try dried beans. Soaking beans require a little more planning than opening a can but the results are well worth it.
Stop in Lanesboro Local Marketplace and get some Whole Grain Milling split peas, black turtle beans or kidney beans today. Here are some simple instructions on soaking and cooking dried beans.
Dried beans and legumes, with the exception of black-eyed peas and lentils, require soaking to rehydrate them for more even cooking. Before soaking beans, pick through and discard any discolored or shriveled beans or any foreign matter. Here are three different methods for soaking beans.
Slow soak – In a stock pot, cover 1 pound of dried beans with 10 cups of cold water. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Hot soak – In a stock pot, bring 10 cups of cold water to a boil. Add one pound of dried beans and return to a boil. Remove from, cover tightly and set aside at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
Quick Soak – In a stock pot, bring 10 cups of cold water to a boil. Add 1 pound of dried beans and return to a boil. Boil 2-3 minutes. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
Gas-free soak – In a stockpot, place 1 pound of dried beans in 10 cups or more of boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Cover and set aside overnight. The next day 75%-90% of the indigestible sugars that cause gas will have dissolved into the soaking water.
Cooking Tips
After soaking the beans, drain and rinse in cold water; add to a stockpot. Cover beans with three times their volume of cold water. Add herbs or spices to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until tender. Stir occasionally. The cook time will vary but start checking the beans after 45 minutes. Add more water if the beans become uncovered with the cooking water.
Add salt or acidic ingredients, like vinegar, tomatoes or juice, near the end of the cooking time when the beans are just tender. Adding these ingredients at the beginning of the cooking can make the beans tough and slow the cooking process.
Beans are done when they can easily be mashed between two fingers or with a fork.
One pound of dried beans yields about 5-6 cups of cooked beans. A 15 ounce can of beans equals about 1 ½ cups of cooked beans.