Oven Beans

I've been cooking beans in my LeCruest pot for decades and I never pre-soak. First, I rinse the beans, put them in the pot, and then cover with water 2-3 inches above the beans. Add garlic and bay leaf. Cook at 300-325 degrees until the desired softness is achieved. It takes about 2-3 hours, depending on the age and freshness of the beans. If I'm going to be using the beans in a recipe that requires additional cooking time, or if I'm freezing the beans, then I only partially cook the beans.

Conventional wisdom says adding salt before the beans are tender makes them tough. --? and, 'If you used the garlic, smush them into the soaking broth to flavor it.' But the soaking water is discarded before cooking?

Cooking dried beans can take hours. Much of the time is spent waiting for the hot water to penetrate the cell walls. This time can be shortened dramatically by soaking overnight in a solution of table salt or baking soda. The sodium in both compounds displaces the calcium and magnesium ions in the cell walls. Additionally, baking soda creates an alkaline bath, which accelerates the process. Any soaking liquid containing baking soda should be drained and discarded and the beans rinsed before cook

At high altitude (6,000+ ft), water boils at 193 degrees or so and without a hack even overnight soaking leaves beans hard. I put clean beans in ceramic pot, add 1T. Baking soda and lots of ‘boiling’ water to soak overnight and then some. I drain/rinse beans and add water or stock to cover but check pot to add liquid as needed. Bay leaves and onion are great. The beans are ready in a couple hours of simmering. I make red Chile sauce to add as well. So good.

No mention here of using an induction heater to cook the beans. I have the best results soaking the beans overnight in salted water, rinsing and cooking them on a DuxTop induction heater. I set it on 25% and walk away. It cooks at a very precise, low temperature. What I like is that the beans all come out with the same texture, depending on cooking time. I may include a bay leaf and an some sautéed garlic, onion, carrot and celery. I sometimes also use Costco organic no salt seasoning.

Salt?

Always make in the oven… add the ends of an onion you were gonna use in stock, in addition to the skin ( not like the papery skin, just the tougher skin)… put in 3 bay leaves, and a few springs of whatever fresh herb you have on hand or in your garden … I use parsley or cilantro… also, a chunk of country ham is nice…

The age of the beans is crucial any time you are using them. Fresher beans really are better; I have had good luck with Rancho Gordo mail order or bigger ethnic stores that move a lot of beans.

I have often seen bean recipes caution against adding salt too early, suggesting that it interferes with the cooking process. They suggest to salt after beans are already tender. Any thoughts?

These are so wonderfully smoky and flavourful I may never make beans any other way!

After beans were cooked, there’s was a lot of liquid — should they be drained before freezing?

When freezing, do you drain them first, or freeze in their cooking liquid? Thanks,

Bean Queen here. I love beans so much: delicious, inexpensive, easiest on the earth of all protein sources. Some thoughts: if your beans are still hard after 24 hours in the slow cooker, they are too old. Spend a little bit more and buy from Rancho Gordo; they are fresh and tasty. No need to throw out the soaking water - that’s where a lot of the nutrients are. I personally am not a fan of the pressure cooker for beans, as it’s hard to get the deep flavorful bean broth. Stovetop is fine!

Skip steps 1,2,3 and use an instant pot, with kombu, fresh epazote if you have it and whatever of the ingredients Persimmon and Steve mention below that appeal to you. Fast, easy and energy efficient. Oh, I forgot: also delicious. I freeze them in wide mouth mason jars with maybe an inch of headspace.