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 Post subject: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:26 pm 
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Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:26 am
Posts: 237
I just don't get it. I have tried for several years now to cook dry beans. Soak, not to soak, salt, not to salt, I have several different methods and always, always, get extremely split, mushy beans......help.........

Pathetically yours,
Karen


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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:05 pm 
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Posts: 5280
Location: Portland, OR
Karen,

Maybe it's the beans you're buying? What variety are they, and who makes them?

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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:29 pm 
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Karen,

Some varieties of beans tend to turn mushy as soon as they are done, and maybe before; pintos, navy peas, marrow beans, and canellinis come to mind. OTOH, some tend to stay firm, and take forever to cook until mushy; soybeans, black soybeans, chickpeas and (esp.) black chickpeas fall into this category, and often I cook those about 3/4 of the way in a pressure cooker, and finish them off over low heat.

Old beans tend to cook less evenly, so I use those in soups where I want some of the mushy ones to dissolve and thicken the soup. In salads I use beans that are less likely to cook unevenly, or I simply use canned beans. Here again, some, such as kidneys and chickpeas, are rarely broken up.

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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:46 am 
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This last time, I was trying to cook a large quantity of pinto beans for a church function. The beans were donated from someone and could certainly be very old and are a Kroger brand bean. I did some more research last night and high quality and fresher beans seem to play a significant role to the end product. Also, many people are using a pressure cooker with good results. I tried to keep the beans at a soft simmer, but my crappy stove does not like to do that so they were probably boiling a little harder than optimal. I think I will pull out the pressure cooker and give that a try today......

Are there any excellent sources for beans out there that I should try?

thanks Fuzzy and Dave!


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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:25 am 
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I find that beans purchased at the health food store are fresher than most chain groceries. I think they just have better sell-through.


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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:46 am 
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Location: Finger Lakes Wine Country
I have been using the Cook's Illustrated brine-soak method with good results, and while it may not rescue ancient beans, I like the texture I have been getting with Goya or Wegmans organic beans. I have also been playing with a pressure cooker and have found that there is a bit of learning curve when it come beans. Pressure cooking brined beans may take as little as five minutes under pressure when using natural release.

A brine-soak requires 8-24 hours, but the beans freeze well so I brine a pound at time and freeze anything I do not need immediately. It has been quite some time since I had to use canned beans for a same day emergency.

The brine formula is 3 Tablespoons of table salt to 4 quarts of water. The goal is to soften skins and improve the texture of the innards. The thinky geek explanation has something do with ion exchange.

There are some advocates of adding a very small amount of baking soda to bean cooking water [1/8 teaspoon per pound]. The change in pH appears to be conducive to beans softening. Since beans are sensitive to dissolved minerals in water and pH, local water supplies may contribute to bean cooking issues. A gallon of distilled water is all that is needed to test the suitability of your local water for cooking beans.

Finally, for better beans, try Rancho Gordo.

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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:22 am 
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Two places where I buy most of my beans are Mexican and Indian grocers, where there is a constant turnover in their stock. Plus, the Indian grocer has more types of legumes than I could remember, and the Mexican store is the only place where I can get those shiny, almost round black beans, which are my favorites.

I also like to brine beans, esp. when using them in salads. As Jim noted, however, even this will not help with really old beans, as there are always some that dried out more, and need more cooking. And pressure cooking beans is variable method, at best, at least with those beans that get mushy. I learned this early on, when I got my first PC to cook those beans I got at that coop, in college. And pintos were one of the most variable. One time they would be done perfectly in 8 min., while another time they would be mushy, and another time they needed more cooking. Just to warn you...

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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:41 am 
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Karen,

In addition to the above: pinto beans are *supposed* to break down into mush. They're specifically bred with that in mind, so that Mexicans can make refried beans.

So if you want firmer beans, use a different variety.

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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:30 am 
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Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:26 am
Posts: 237
Finally.. :lol: Better beans! I brined some pinto beans and cooked them barely,barley simmering on the stove. I gave them 15 minutes and them tested them every 3 minutes and finally had cooked beans with minimal explosions.

I now realize better, that pintos are a mushy bean, like you guys have said. The interesting thing to me is that I make beans for our church to take out to farms that have migrant workers from Mexico and provide them a meal and such. I have received a lot of feedback of how the workers like my beans so much because they aren't so mushy! I have been using CI refried bean recipe but just leaving the beans all whole. This was mostly a time and cleanup issue since I was making so many. I have been using canned beans because of ease, but was given many dried ones last week. So, I'm going to try to use them, and now I think I can cook them and if some mush, well that will be ok..

Thanks for the help, all of my friends are are wonderful!
Karen


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 Post subject: Re: I can't cook beans
PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 7:10 pm 
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Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:26 am
Posts: 237
My new and improved beans are marvelous! :D I ordered a flameware clay pot from Clay Coyote and some Rancho Gordo beans along with Steve Sando's cookbook and they were amazing. I actually read the cookbook all of the way through before I began. I kept reading, "these beans don't need many embellishments, they are good",,,,,yeah, yeah, yeah......I made Enfrijoladas with chicken. I had no idea how it would be. Cook some bean, make a bean puree, dip a fried corn tortilla in, top with some poached chicken, avocado, and queso fresco........WONDERFUL.........and only 3 exploded beans......I'm just beside myself tonight...

Lovin' beans tonight,
Karen


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