How to Cook Dry Beans

Cooking beans from scratch allows you to choose different varieties including heirloom and local types. The taste of cooked dry beans tends to be much richer compared to canned beans. King Soopers carries both pinto and Anasazi beans from Cortez, CO. Farm Runners in Hotchkiss, CO carries a few types of local, heirloom bean varieties. Straw Hat in Montrose, CO carries a few types of local, heirloom beans as well.

The obvious benefit of canned beans is convenience and I do keep canned beans in the cupboard for those days that we need beans for a meal and it's been a DAY! If there is concern about sodium in canned beans consider straining and rinsing. I do this anyway because the liquid in canned beans has a funny taste to me.

I have cooked beans all three of these ways, the easiest is in the Instant Pot. There isn't a flavor difference to any of these methods, comes down to your preference and what tools you have in your home.

Soaking Phase Ingredients

• 1 cup sorted, dry beans of choice

• 1.5 tablespoon salt

• 5 cups filtered water

This soaking phase comes from Cook's Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking where the test kitchen scientists found brining the beans to produce a better textured bean than skimping on the salt in this phase. Again if sodium is a concern, easy enough to rinse the beans after the soaking phase before the cooking phase ingredients are added to the soaked beans.

Soak overnight up to 24 hours. If you forget to soak beans overnight, boil the 5 cups of water and pour over beans and cover. This is a way to expediate the soaking process. Drain beans.

Cooking Phase Ingredients

• 5 cups water to the drained beans

• 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt

• 2-5 bay leaves if you desire (helps with gas) - optional

• 1⁄2” strip of kombu kelp (increases iodine which the majority of American's are deficient) - optional

Three Cooking Options

Dutch Oven

Preheat the oven at 325°F

Bring the beans to a boil on stove top in a covered Dutch Oven. Place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Now the beans are ready to eat.

Stovetop

Put cooking phase ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan with lid. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about 1-1.5 hours. Or until beans are tender but not burst.

Instant Pot

Put soaked beans in the instant pot with above ingredients. Manually set to 15 minutes of high pressure. After finishing cooking allow to decompress for 1 hour. Then the beans are ready to eat.

Notes

• 1 cup dry beans makes about 2.5 cups of cooked beans.

• They store for up to a week in the fridge and freeze well.

• This recipe is for BEANS rather than lentils, which take much less time to cook and soak.