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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Dried Beans – The How To’s of Preparing, Cooking and Storing




How To Store Dried Beans
Dry beans should be stored at room temperature in covered containers. They will keep almost indefinitely. Do not keep dry beans in the refrigerator. The plastic bags beans are packaged in are good for storage if they are airtight. Once opened, the bag may be reclosed with a twist tie. For the longest storage life, keep beans in a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lids.

Rinsing
Do not rinse beans until you are ready to soak or cook them. Even then you do not have to rinse beans if you’re going to soak them. Any field dust will be removed and discarded with the soak water. If you cook the beans without soaking, rinse them after sorting.  

Soaking
The purpose of soaking is to begin rehydration before cooking, thereby reducing cooking time. Unsoaked beans take longer to cook and require more attention so they won’t cook dry. During soaking, beans make up their lost water, increasing up to twice their dried size. Enough water must be used to keep the beans covered while soaking. Once rehydrated, beans cook in 1 to 3 hours, depending on the type of bean.

There are basically two methods for soaking: long-soak and quick-soak. Both work equally well and differ only in the amount of time required to rehydrate the beans. Choose the one which best suits your time and schedule.
Long-soaking takes time and some advance planning, but needs very little effort. First, cover the beans with water at room temperature. Soak them overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Keep the beans covered by water while soaking. Be sure the soak water is at room temperature. Hot water may cause the beans to sour. Cold water slows rehydration and the beans will take longer to cook. Cooking time will also be longer if beans are not soaked long enough – at least 8 hours. Beans soaked longer than 12 hours can absorb too much water and lose their characteristic texture and flavor. If you plan to cook beans for dinner and you want to use the long-soak method, start soaking in the morning. To cook beans for lunch, you’ll have to soak them overnight.

Quick-soaking rehydrates dried beans in little more than 1 hour. For most cooks, this is the most convenient method. Bring the beans and water for soaking to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat and cover the pot. Let the beans stand in the soak water for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the soak water and cook the beans.

Hot-soak. The Preferred Hot Soak is the newest method for soaking beans. Instructions for the Preferred Hot Soak are as follows:
After sorting and rinsing the beans, in a large pot add 10 cups of water for each pound (2 cups) of dry beans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes, remove from heat, cover and stand at least 1 hour (quick-soak method), but preferably 4 hours or more; maximum 24 hours. (The longer soaking time is recommended to allow a greater amount of sugar to dissolve, thus helping the beans to be more easily digested.) Whether you soak the beans for one hour or several, discard soak water; rinse beans and pan. Return beans to pan, add fresh cold water to fully cover the beans, 1-2 teaspoons oil or shortening and 2 teaspoons salt, if desired. Simmer the beans gently with the lid tilted until they are tender, to avoid breaking the skins. If you wish to further season your cooked beans, adding vegetables and spices to the cooking water will enhance their flavor.

Bean Arithmetic
  • A pound of beans measures about 2 cups.
  • Beans triple in volume when soaked and cooked.
  • A cup of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked.
  • A pound of dry beans yields 6 cups cooked.
  • Use 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans for soaking.
  • Simmer each pound of beans 2 hours after soaking.
  • A pound of dry beans makes about 9 servings of baked beans.
  • A pound of dry beans makes about 12 servings of bean soup.
  • A one-pound can of cooked beans measures about 2 c.
Freezing Cooked Beans
If you plan to freeze all of the beans you cook, it’s a good idea to undercook them. This usually means cooking about 30 minutes less than the suggested cooking times. If you cook beans in your pressure cooker, reduce the cooking time by 1 to 1½ minutes. Undercooking will help the beans maintain their shape and texture as they thaw and reheat. Freeze beans in 1 to 2 cup portions so they’ll be easy to thaw and use. Freezer containers should be airtight and moisture proof. Leave enough space at the top of the container for expansion of the beans. Fill the container to 1 to 1½ inches from the top, making sure the beans are covered with liquid so they won’t dry out. Cooked beans will keep in the freezer 2 to 3 months. After that time their flavor and texture will begin to deteriorate.
 Thawing and Reheating Frozen Beans
Beans maintain their shape better if they are thawed slowly. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, for several hours at room temperature, or for about an hour in a pan of warm water. When the beans can be removed from their freezer container, put them in a saucepan to reheat and finish cooking

Source: www.countryconsultant.com/blogspot/?p=383

If you are interested in recipes that use dry beans, do a google search for "bean commission recipes" You will find quite a few states that have collected impressive lists of recipes.

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