I enjoy eating beans and so do most of the kids. Papa, not so much.. unless I make chili with them.
I bought, several years ago now, several buckets of dried beans through a lady in town here who does a bulk store once a year.
I love them!!
I've finally figured out a good way to use them so they taste 'right'.
First I put several scoops of beans into my roaster.
I use my 2 cup measure and fill it about half way up.
Yup, when I do beans I DO beans :)
Then I get all the kids to wash their hands and pick out the rocks, half beans and any bean that doesn't look 'right'. They LOVE this chore. I LOVE this chore..
but every time I go to do it they want too.. and they out number me.
I still get to sort beans a little :) BECAUSE...
when they are done it's MY turn to go through them and makes sure they got everything.
After sorting I fill the roast with water and let it set overnight.
Now there are two ways to do this. You can put the roaster where you want to leave it for the night and add water.. or you can add water and then move the roast where you want it.
I've had bad luck with BOTH!! The only other advice I have is; whatever you decide to do,
make sure there are no kids, dogs, toys etc in between you and where you are going to.
OK after you clean up what ever mess there may be let your beans soak over night. I check mine before bed and often add more water then as the top half of the roaster is dry.
The next morning, unless you forget like I did last time, or afternoon rise the beans off in cold water. I have a great big colander and I put it in my sink, dump half the beans into it and rise and then put those beans in my big pot to cook and do the other half OR if you want to bake the beans put the colander somewhere to drain and rise the other half of the beans in the roaster.
Then when your beans are all together again add some salt (I'm so precise I take my salt container and pour til it looks 'right!', but it should be about a tablespoon? or two?) and enough water to cover the beans. Yes I have a BIG pot! If your going to bake the beans do the same thing. BUT if you do the roaster half full of dry beans you will NOT have room to bake them as the top ones will not be covered in water. The soaked beans will TOTALLY fill your roaster!! That is when I found my big pot
I've cooked my soaked beans several ways. They've all worked.
You can leave it on your wood stove for the day as long as you have a small fire in it, or even overnight. Too much fire will just cook them faster! Be sure to stir!
No fire.. will not cook beans.. but wait you knew that :)
OR
You can put it on high on your kitchen stove until it boils, turn it down and then simmer it for a few hours. (Actually I normally put the pot on the kitchen stove to boil and then put it on the wood stove for the day.)
OR
You can bake them at 350 for an hour and then 250 for the rest of the day/night.
I really should soak them for the day and cook them on the wood stove at night next time. The weather is getting warmer and the fire during the day was too little heat so I had to keep it going hotter then I wanted and leave some windows open this last time.
There you have it 101 ways to cook beans.. or did it just feel that way to me??
OK after your beans are nice and cooked.. Oh wait..
How to tell if your beans are nice and cooked.
Well..
I eat one.
If it crunches..
NOT COOKED
If they are all sticking together and mushy..
COOKED!!!
:)
Yes that is really how I tell.. I told you I was precise crazy.
Maybe I'm precisely crazy?
Nope that's not it.
Ok after my beans are nice and cooked I take some out of the pot for chili for supper :)
Then I get out a bunch of containers, big or small. How many beans would you like to use at once? Find a container that size or sizes. Fill your containers up, mark the containers with a sharpie and stick them in your freezer. I let the beans cool a bit first as hot beans really burn!
Next time you want to make chili or refried beans, grab a container of beans out the night before or the day of and thaw it in a sink of hot water or your microwave.
It's as easy as that :)
I've also canned them but I don't find it's worth the time put in. Takes too long.
Though it is nice to have about if your a last minute cook!! I just followed the directions in my canning ball book :) I think :)
