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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