Funny you should ask about beans and storage, almost posted a video of that today but it didn’t turn out as well as I wanted so I wrote something else.

Here is the rundown:

1) Always soak dried beans before cooking.
2) Never soak lentils before cooking.
3) Always store beans in their cooking liquid
4) Never store lentils in their cooking liquid
5) Always thought before use

I make big batches of beans and freeze half because they take so long to cook. I leave half out (in the fridge) and use it for the next few days. Because lentils cook faster, I don’t usually freeze them. I find that they don’t retain their texture as well as beans do when frozen, probably because of the lack of cooking liquid. However when I tried freezing lentils in their liquid I didn’t like the way they came out (more runny). Instead I just store lentils in the refrigerator and only use them for about 3-5 days.

I always thaw beans that have been frozen before using them. Like I said, I usually make a big batch and freeze half. I eat the first half for several days (from the fridge), then when I’m ready for more I take the other beans from the freezer and move them to the fridge (or counter to thaw faster). Once they thaw you can use them exactly the same way. I add both beans and lentils to salads all the time, love it. For lentils though, you need to be sure to use the kind that keep their shape and don’t get mushy (red lentils turn to mush) if you want to use them in salads and stir fries.

I hope this answers your questions. Let me know if anything was unclear.

Love the blog and love the twitter feed – as a fellow Lakers fan it always good to see your comments. I have a questions about the cooking of the beans and lentils – do you soak,then cook and then freeze them for use? If so can you use the frozen ones in salads or just to cooked meals? Can you do the same for lentils? I love both beans and lentils but I prefer using the dry kind but then it means planning well in advance. Also here in the UAE fresh veg though avaible is not really fresh but with the multucultral nature here there are lots of beans and lentils so really want to make the most of them.

Thanks
Sandi

I think I’m going to get some black beans soaking for tomorrow. They’re not heirloom but they’ll still be good. What brand of bullion do you use? I haven’t been able to find any that isn’t full of MSG.

I appreciate your concern and I do try to filter out inappropriate ads as often as I can, but I never know they are coming until they appear and it takes hours to get them down (if I catch them). Unfortunately I can’t afford to not run Google ads at this time, but this is something I’m definitely working toward replacing. Thanks for your patience. If you find an ad that particularly annoys you, feel free to send me the URL and I will add it to my blacklist.

Cheers,
Darya