Dec 02 2008
Beans Under Pressure
Squash, Peppers and Beans Recipe
I am not a vegetarian, but for both financial and health reasons I do not eat a lot of meat. Consequently my dietary protein comes from many different sources, not the least of which is beans.
I realize that many of you have preconceived notions of beans and what goes along with eating them, but I am going to ask you to keep your mind open until I finish my explanation. If you read all the way to the bottom, you are more than welcome to unleash your fury in my comments section.
Let me begin by stating that I am not talking about canned kidney beans. I do not eat beans from a can unless I am desperately short on time. Not that there is anything wrong with canned beans: they are quick, healthy and relatively inexpensive. However, I have found canned beans to be very one dimensional in flavor and even less appealing in texture. They are also more prone to cause the digestive problems many people associate with “the musical fruit.”
Dried Beans
A little over a year ago my apartment acquired a pressure cooker that opened my eyes to the potential of dried beans. Dried beans, which are even less expensive than canned beans, can take hours to cook under normal circumstances. But a pressure cooker can cut this time to under half an hour and allows you to prepare large batches that can be stored frozen for months.
In my estimation, however, the best reasons to cook your own beans are taste, texture and variety. Home cooked beans taste worlds better than canned. First off, they do not have the characteristic slimy ooze of canned beans. (Definitely rinse your beans if you do buy canned). Dried beans also have a richer, more complex flavor without the metallic tinge you get with S&W. Hint: Your beans will taste even more delicious when cooked in bouillon or broth.
The mouthfeel of home cooked beans is also superior to canned. Different varietals have unique tastes and textures, so with each bean you try you embark on a new adventure. Some are silky and delicate, others rich and creamy. Larger beans tend to be heartier than smaller beans, but there is really no telling how they will taste until after you cook them.
While there are only five or six kinds of canned beans commonly available, the number of dried beans is innumerable. Rancho Gordo is an heirloom bean vendor I visit regularly at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market that has a fantastic variety of dried beans. Ever had a Black Calypso bean? Me neither, but I cannot wait to try them! Visit the Rancho Gordo website if you want to order online.
There are also fantastic bean selections at most health food stores, including Whole Foods. Check the bulk bins for the best deals!
Soaking Beans
One caveat of cooking your own beans is that they require a significant amount of soaking time. I recommended that you rinse them well and soak them overnight. All this requires is 5 minutes of planning the day before, and if you prepare large batches you do not have to soak beans very often. Be sure to pick over your beans for pebbles before cooking them.
Another bonus of rinsing and soaking beans is that it eliminates many of the sugars that your body cannot digest, thereby reducing (in my experience eliminating) unpleasant bodily byproducts. Toss out your soaking water when you are finished and add fresh water or broth for cooking.
Pressure Cooker Precautions
Pressure cookers can be dangerous if used improperly, so it is imperative that you follow the instructions carefully. In general, it is important to get a tight seal on the lid and be sure the pot is not over-filled (total volume should be less than half the volume of the pot). However, it is necessary to add sufficient liquid to the beans to prevent burning and dehydration. You also want to avoid adding salt until after your beans have cooked.
Follow the instructions on your pressure cooker to determine the appropriate amount of cooking time, usually 10-20 minutes. The contents of the pot are under a tremendous amount of pressure while cooking, so be sure to allow the pot to depressurize completely before attempting to remove the lid. This takes an additional 10-15 minutes.
A link to the pressure cooker I use can be found in the Summer Tomato Shop.
I imagine that a slow cooker would be equally advantageous in cooking beans, but I have never tried it.
What are your favorite tricks to make beans more user friendly?
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Tags: beans, Black Calypso beans, dried vs canned beans, pressure cooker, Rancho Gordo
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…..health reasons? You can’t deny that its completely possible to eat meat at every meal and have it still be healthy.
Nice to actually see someone give the head-nod to the ever-neglected bean; theres really no way around a pressure cooker to do this effectively, is there though? How much of that special mouthfeel do you lose after freezing them?
beans are my bane. they don’t just give me a little gas, they give me violent green fumes that would would expect to flow from grendel’s evil lair. yeah, I said it.
Is the pinto bean your favorite or something?
Slow cookers are not the best way to cook beans. Even cooking on high all day, they are still crunchy. I haven’t tried overnight yet. It would be better to cook ahead of time and reheat with added ingredients in the crockpot.
Slow cooker users often say that the slow cooker is the best way to cook beans. But if you’ve used a pressure cooker, you know that it can compete with the slow cooker, especially for time. You don’t have to think way in advance and can actually cook your beans from dry to done in 20 to 25 minutes for beans such as pintos or black. Big difference there. And the flavor and texture are wonderful.
I teach pressure cooking so I am obviously an advocate.
anon1:
Certainly it is possible, but it is very difficult to eat meat at every meal and still be healthy. For most people that would require an entire restructuring of their diet.
Most people, however, could add decades to their life by eating less meat.
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Katie:
Beans hold up pretty well in the freezer. I was surprised myself.
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Mike:
You should probably see a doctor, or at least invest in some Beano.
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Anon2:
Good eye! No, the pinto is not my favorite bean but it was one of the key ingredients in a soup I made a couple weeks ago for Soup Night. More stories on that adventure to come.
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MB:
Interesting, thanks for the tip! I don’t think I could give up the ease of the pressure cooker anyway.
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Veggie Queen:
Great to know. Do your slow cooker friends have to cook their beans for more than 16 hrs?
Please keep in mind that old beans take longer to cook, and sometimes they never get soft. So maybe that’s the problem.
Most people that I’ve heard about slow cook beans all day and then they’re ready. But you just never know.
Buy beans from a store with good turnover. Best if dated but not likely seen.
You guys knew this was coming. And who knew that beans were a staple of the israelites…..?!
You should do a post about how to use pressure cookers. Neither me nor my friends know what to do with them. (Should I go out and buy one?)
Sorry to butt in here but Greg, if you want to learn about pressure cookers you can take a look at my website http://www.pressurecookingonline.com or my blog at http://pressurecooking.blogspot.com. If you cook real food — beans, grains and vegetables, a pressure cooker rocks. If you cook meat, I hear that it’s also great (from my friends) but I don’t do it.
Greg:
I agree with the Veggie Queen, she’s the pressure cooker expert! I just learned by following the instructions that came in the box.
I am a huge fan of beans, so I don’t think I could live without one.
So do I think you should buy one? Yes. Do I think it would make your life easier? Yes. Do I think you could live without it? Sure. Definitely a good investment though.
Thanks Veggiequeen, maybe Santa will visit our apartment this christmas with a pressure cooker.
Here I am replying to another old post *blush* but I had to chime in and say that I use my slow cooker for beans. (I admit I’m a little scared of pressure cookers, but more importantly, I don’t have one, and I do have a crockpot!) Just today I made a pot full of great northern white beans. I soaked them overnight, then put them in the crockpot with fresh water and put it on high. About 4 or 5 hours later I had perfect beans for tomorrow’s chili and a bunch to put in the freezer.
Don’t blame you for your fear of pressure cookers. I’ll do a video demo soon to demystify. I’m scared of slow cookers. So slow!! (or maybe I just don’t have one). LOL