The Secret to Making Beans

Raise your hand if you've ever had the unfortunate experience of eating:

1) Chewy beans.

2) Undercooked or crunchy beans.

3) Mushy, flavorless beans.

(Yuck.)

I have & it isn't something I'd like to remember.

If cooked properly, beans are pretty amazing, delicious little guys. They are superior sources of protein, fiber & low in fat.

They are also filling & delicious--but you've got to know how to cook them.

And good news!

Tender, flavorful, slow-cooked beans are much easier to make than you might think.

I'm going to show you how easy it is.

(Yum.)

Of course you can always use canned legumes, but making your own beans from scratch is not only a cinch, it's MUCH cheaper than canned, & the taste is superior (don't I sound snobbish?).

Slow cooked beans, especially if simmered with a bay leaf, have the best taste & texture over other cooking methods.

The bay leaf adds flavor AND helps to soften & make the beans more digestible (ie. less gassy) the beans as well as gives the beans a rich, deep flavor (and the broth is pretty good, too!). Simmering the beans on low for a long time (8-12 hours) allows the flavor of the beans to slowly emerge. Nothing quite like slow cooked beans.

You can also add some garlic cloves.

Easy peasy, especially if you have one of these:

I know, mine's an antique. I think I stole it from my parent's kitchen when we first got married almost 8 years ago (and it was old then!).

But that should give you hope, especially if yours is like mine (super old).

If you haven't looked at yours since your bridal shower (doesn't every gal get a crock-pot for their bridal shower/wedding?), pull yours out of whatever nook or cranny it's hiding in, dust it off, and put it good use.

Sure, there are lots of fancy schmanzy slow cookers out there with all the bells & whistles (here is a pretty one I hope to have someday) but your basic crock pot will more than suffice.

Here's the secret to making some amazingly tender & rich, beans.

The secret to flavorful beans is all in how you cook the beans. Slow cooking beans is the way to go, & it's easier than you think.

No soaking. No draining water & then rinsing again.

Yes, you have to plan ahead, but aside from that, it's a very low maintenance process.

Simply rinse your dry beans, dump, add some water (about 1:3, beans:water, ratio), a bay leaf or two, & turn the knob. I find one pound of beans, or two cups is the perfect amount for my little crock pot. Remember, dried beans expand, so don't worry that there is too much water.

Allow to simmer for 8-12 hours on low. You can drain the liquid or use as broth in soup.

I put mine in my crock pot after dinner clean up & then I have beans ready the next day to eat with lunch or dinner!

Note: For kidney beans, you'll want to put it high for some of the time (4-6 hours), then turn down to low. Kidney beans need to be cooked on high, otherwise, they can be toxic if not cooked at a high temp. This is only the case with kidney beans. Black, pinto, garbanzo, & the like can be cooked on low for a long period of time, & they are a-okay to eat.

Also, don't add any salt until the beans are fully cooked. The salt will interfere with the beans cooking fully & you'll have yourself a big pot full of crunchy beans, yuumm...or not.

If your beans turn out chewy despite cooking them, it's mostly likely because the beans are old. Nothing you can do about it, just make sure your beans aren't too old before you cook them.

[Need some rice to goes with those beans? Check out how to make the perfect Mexican rice.]

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Do you have a crockpot?

Did you get it as a wedding present?

How often do you use yours, & have you ever made beans in it?

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