Four Step Method
Dry beans are an incredibly nutritious, versatile, and inexpensive ingredient. The cost of one ½ cup serving of dry beans is about one-third the cost of canned beans. Cooking with dry beans is easy and rewarding, but to cook with dry beans versus canned beans you need to follow four simple steps.
STEP 1: Clean the Beans
Plate the beans in a shallow layer in a pie plate, baking sheet, or bar pan.
Pick out and discard any foreign objects like leaves, small stones, or twigs, as well as any broken beans.
STEP 2: Rinse the Beans
Place the beans in a colander or strainer, and rinse them under cold running water.
STEP 3: Soak the Beans
There are three soaking methods you can use: the Hot Soak Method, the Traditional Soak Method, and the Quick Soak Method. The three different soaking methods vary in the amount of time required for adequate soaking. The “hot soak” method typically is recommended because it reduces cooking time and gas-producing compounds the most while consistently yielding tender beans.
Hot Soak – Recommended method for most consistently tender beans!
- Place beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover the beans.
- Heat to boiling and boil for an additional 3 minutes.
- Remove beans from heat, cover and let stand for at least 4 hours. (Put them in the refrigerator after they’ve soaked for an hour.)
- Drain beans and discard soak water.
- Rinse beans with fresh, cool water.
Traditional Soak – Best Method for Pressure Cooking Beans
- Pour cold water over beans to cover.
- Soak beans for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain beans and discard soak water. (NOTE: Cold water starts but does not complete the rehydration process so the beans will appear wrinkled after soaking. They will fully rehydrate during cooking.)
- Rinse beans with fresh, cool water.
Quick Soak – Fastest Method!
- Place beans in a large pot and add 6 cups of water for every 2 cups of beans.
- Bring to boil and boil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove beans from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.
- Drain beans and discard soak water.
- Rinse beans with fresh, cool water.
STEP 4: Cook the Beans
- Place beans in a large stock pot and cover with fresh, cold water.
- Place over medium heat; keep cooking water at a gentle simmer to prevent split skins.
- Since beans expand as they cook, add warm water periodically during the cooking process to keep the beans covered.
- Stir beans occasionally throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking.
- Beans take 30 minutes to 2 hours to cook, depending on the variety. Beans should be tender but not mushy.
Check out these recipes as well as some ideas for no recipe required.
For best results, follow these tips:
- Keep cooking water at a gentle simmer to prevent split skins.
- Since beans expand as they cook, add warm water periodically during the cooking process to keep the beans covered.
- Stir beans occasionally throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking.
- You can “bite test” beans for tenderness. Beans should be tender but not mushy. If beans are not tender after the specified cooking time, factors such as altitude, hard water, or the age of the beans may affect cooking time. Keep cooking and “bite test” again in 10-15 minutes for tenderness.
- Drain beans immediately after they reach the desired tenderness to halt the cooking process and prevent over-cooking.
- Onions may be added at any time during the cooking process. For a stronger onion flavor, add them during the last half-hour of cooking.
- Herbs and spices like oregano, parsley, thyme, and garlic may be added at any time during cooking.
- Wait to add acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, chili sauce, catsup, molasses, or wine until after beans have been soaked and are fully cooked. Adding ingredients rich in calcium or acids too early in the cooking process can prevent the beans from becoming tender.