how-to-beans.


at this point in my life i really can not believe there ever existed a me who didn't know how to make a pot of fresh beans. straight up ole pinto beans. the fabulous side or main dish that is so glamourously cheap yet can be used to make so many things. beans. you must know how to make these. i promise a hundred recipes to use these for.

beans.
rachelle's recipe.

1 pound dry pinto beans- (about 2 cups.)
8 cups water

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon knorr caldo de pollo (chicken boullion, mexican section)
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced; or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon bacon fat, or 2 slices bacon

you can also add:

onion, quartered (optional)
jalepeno, whole (optional)
dry chile pods, whole (optional
get your favorite helper to sort beans with you. look for rocks, shriveled beans, and bean halves. remove all imperfect beans and rinse beans off.

you can choose here from five options.
  1. soak beans overnight to cook quicker in the morning: [you've planned ahead.]
  2. load beans into a stockpot and quick soak: bring to a boil, boil three minutes, turn heat off, leave soaking for one hour, then cook: [you remembered after lunch.]
  3. load beans into a stockpot and cook away: [you remembered after lunch.]
  4. load beans into a crock pot and cook away: [you remembered in the morning.]
  5. load beans into a pressure cooker and cook away: [you remembered at 5 pm.]
to cook:
in a stockpot or crock pot, load beans, water and garlic. don't add salt yet. if you are cooking beans on the stovetop, add water as needed. stir occasionally. keep partially covered with a lid.

cooking time for unsoaked beans: crock pot: 10 hours on low. stovetop: 3 hours, simmer. cooking time for soaked beans: crock pot: 8 hours on low. stovetop: 2 hours, simmer.

(these cooking times are estimates. cooking times depend on the age of the beans, water hardness, altitude pressure, etc.. i suggest give yourself a little bit of space the first time you cook beans- i would plan an extra hour bumper time before dinner, just in case the beans aren't ready. you can always keep them warm if they're ready early. after you've tried them once, you will better know a time frame for your stove, crockpot, and kitchen.)
add the seasonings about halfway through the cooking time. if you forget or leave it to the last minute, you will have yucky blah beans in a delicious broth. if you may forget, load it up in the beginning. it will make the bean skins a bit tougher (but that is better than blah beans.)
in a pressure cooker, add water and seasonings into the pot and start timing when pressure valve pops (on the highest pressure,) and cook for one hour. you can let the pressure fall or quick release.

3 comments:

  1. Wow...I had no idea! I shamefully admit I do not know how to cook a pot of beans. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  2. rae, you can do it! it's so so easy. (and you will love how yummy they are.) i wrote a bit more about beans on posh mama this week. i will post our family favorite recipe with these beans- beanstacks- soon. also i need to post how to make refried beans too. you can be a burrito pinto bean queen!

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  3. i love how you have all of the options on how to. i've always been a soak overnight or else, glad to know there are other ways!

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