Cooking with Dried Beans
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In general, the larger the bean, the longer they need to soak: and the longer you soak beans, the faster they cook.
Before preparing dried beans, sort through them thoroughly for tiny pebbles or other debris.
Soaking the Beans: Soaking beans allows the dried beans to absorb water, which begins to dissolve the starches that cause intestinal discomfort. While beans are soaking they are also double to tripling in their size. (You can cook beans without soaking, but it takes longer, and some people think the beans taste better when soaked.) Soak most beans in three times their volume of cold water for six hours before cooking. NOTE: Split peas and lentils don't need to be soaked. They take about 30 minutes to cook, Dried beans are often soaked too long. Most recipes say overnight. The best way is to put them in cold water; bring them gently to a boil and then with saucepan off the heat, allow them to remain in the water for 1 to 2 hours only.
Do not add salt or
acidic ingredients, like vinegar, tomatoes or juice, this will slow the cooking
process. Instead, add these ingredients when the beans are just tender.
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Cooking the Beans:
The best cookware for beans is a heavy metal pot or saucepan. Stainless steel,
cast aluminum, or cast iron are all excellent.
Bring the beans to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 60 to 90
minutes, or until the beans are tender. (Check your package of beans, as cooking
times vary for different varieties. But also check the beans occasionally,
because sometimes the beans will cook more quickly than the package says.) NOTE: When cooking beans, always simmer. Boiling can cause the cooking liquid to overflow, as well as the beans to break apart and the skins to separate.
High Altitude: As altitude increases, dried
beans take more time to rehydrate and cook. The difference begins to be
noticeable above 3,500 feet.
Oven Baking: Baking in the hot dry air
of the oven is a slow process, but it's the only way to create the wonderful
glazed, crusty top characteristic of baked beans and bean pot casseroles.
Traditional containers for baking beans are earthenware bean pots, usually 3 or
3½ quart size. The pot and lid should be glazed at least on the inside and
must be lead-free. You can also use glass or ceramic casseroles.
When dried beans boil, a foam forms on the top of the cooking liquid. This foam
is water-soluble protein released from the beans and it will be absorbed back
into the bean cooking liquid. It is not necessary to remove the foam.
Beans are done when
they can be easily mashed between two fingers or with a fork. Always test a few
beans in case they have not cooked evenly
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