Dried Beans

Important note - as I was getting ready to cook some dried beans today I realized that I forgot to mention that dried beans must always be "sorted" first. You need to look carefully at the dried beans to check for "buggy" beans, spoiled beans (discolored), and especially to remove any rocks found there. Even in the US there are rocks mixed in with dried beans. I'm not sure why they are there, but they are. If you have someone helping you in the kitchen, this is a great job for them to do.

Storing dried beans - if you have to buy ahead and store dried beans, they will keep longer without getting "buggy" if you will put them on baking sheets and put them in a warm oven - 175 degrees for maybe 30 minutes or so - long enough to make sure they are heated through. This will kill any bug eggs that have attached to your beans. Once the beans have cooled, store in an airtight container. If you choose not to heat the beans, you may find that those eggs will hatch and eat not only the beans, but the container you are storing them in.

One more observation - the older the beans, the longer it takes to cook them - at least I found that to be true.

Dried beans - I cook all types - pinto, black eyed peas, great Northern Beans, navy beans. In Kenya I liked rose cocoa in recipes that call for pinto beans. For great Northern Beans I think the white beans were called mexican beans. If you live at a high elevation, the use of a pressure cooker really cuts down on the time to cook.

Most recipes call for soaking the beans over night before cooking. Instead, I cover the beans in water and bring to a boil. I boil for two minutes and then remove the pot from the heat add baking soda - a tablespoon or so (it will foam) - and then rinse well. This helps with digesting the beans.

If using a pressure cooker, I return the beans to the pot, cover with water at least an inch higher than the top of the beans, add 1 teaspoon of ground ginger (this also aids in digestion). I then add approximately 1 teaspoon salt per cup of dried beans and stir. Some recipes say to wait and add the salt after the beans are cooked. To me the beans taste better if cooked in salted water. Put on the lid, bring up to pressure and then cook for the time suggested for that type of bean. My pressure cooker recommends: 25 minutes for pinto beans, 20 minutes for black eyes peans, and 30 minutes for great northern or navy. Be careful when cooking black eyed peas because they tend to foam and can clog the pressure valve. Always stay near by when using a pressure cooker to monitor the pot. If it stops "jiggling", you need to see if it is because you have the heat too low or if the valve is clogged. If a clog is the problem, remove from heat and reduce the pressure inside by holding it under cold running water. NEVER try to open the pot while there is still pressure inside.

If you are not at a high altitude, you can just cook the beans in a regular pot over medium heat. It will take an hour or more to cook the beans. Cook until tender.

For refried beans use pinto or rose cocoa. After the beans are cooked, put them in a food processor to mash or mash them with a fork or potato masher. Put oil in a pan, add about a cup of onion and cook onion until tender. Then add beans. Cook until hot and bubbling. They get thicker as they cool.