Cooking Dried Beans

Cooking dried beans makes for a far superior eating experience compared to canned beans. It may take a little bit more time, but it is worth it. Plus, you get to customize the flavoring of your beans along with the texture.

16 oz Dried Beans-Any Variety

6 cups Water

2 Teaspoons Salt

Place the beans on a cookie sheet or sheet pan. Sort the beans. You are looking for small stones or twigs. Beans are an agricultural product and sometimes small stones and twigs get through the sorting process.

Place the sorted beans into a colander and rinse until the water turns clear.

Place the rinsed beans into a large bowl and add the water.

Soak the beans for 12 hours. The beans will swell and the skin may separate from the beans. There is no need to separate the skin from the beans.

Place the soaked beans and water into a large pot.

Do not add salt or acid at this point in the cooking process.

Add your favorite flavorings. Some suggestions are dried chilies, onion, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme. The more you add, the more flavor the beans will have.

Turn your heat on high until small bubbles appear on the surface of the water. Hold this temperature.

You will see foam starting to form on the surface of the water. This is normal and does not effect the flavor of the beans. Skim off any excess.

If the water level starts to look low, add more water.

When the beans are almost cooked to your desired tenderness add the salt.

Continue to simmer until desired tenderness is met.

Drain the beans. They are now ready to eat or add to your favorite dishes.