Cooking dry beans

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After you have your cooked beans, you may be looking in your pot and thinking now what do I do? Here’s where it gets exciting. You have many options!

   1. Drain the beans from their cooking liquid and use as you normally would canned beans. You      can add to a soup, on a salad, for hummus, etc. You can reserve the cooking bean water to use    as aquafaba. Aquafaba is most popularly made from chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans). 

   2. Leave beans as is and enjoy in their cooking liquid, especially if they were cooked in broth        and/or herbs and spices.

   3. Press sauté and gently simmer to reduce cooking liquid to desired consistency. This is great    for enhancing any of the spices and flavors in the cooking liquid. You can use these beans in a    burrito, burrito bowl, taco, as a side, or on their own.

   4. Fork smash 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans to thicken the liquid. You can do this with or without              simmering down the liquid to a thicker consistency.

   5. Take 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans and some of their liquid. Add to a blender or food processor.          Blend or process to desired texture then add back to whole beans. This will give the beans a        thicker base.

   6. Blend or food process the entire batch of beans. This would make more of a dip or “refried      beans” type of a dish.

   7. Cook with extra water or stock and blend entire batch into a smooth bean soup.

After you have your cooked beans, you may be looking in your pot and thinking now what do I do? Here’s where it gets exciting. You have many options!

   1. Drain the beans from their cooking        liquid and use as you normally would      canned beans. You can add to a soup,    on a salad, for hummus, etc. You can        reserve the cooking bean water to use    as aquafaba. Aquafaba is most                  popularly made from chickpeas (also        called garbanzo beans). 

   2. Leave beans as is and enjoy in their    cooking liquid, especially if they were      cooked in broth and/or herbs and            spices.

   3. Press sauté and gently simmer to          reduce cooking liquid to desired              consistency. This is great for enhancing    any of the spices and flavors in the          cooking liquid. You can use these            beans in a burrito, burrito bowl, taco, as    a side, or on their own.

   4. Fork smash 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans to    thicken the liquid. You can do this with    or without simmering down the liquid        to a thicker consistency.

   5. Take 1/4 to 1/2 of the beans and            some of their liquid. Add to a blender      or food processor. Blend or process to    desired texture then add back to              whole beans. This will give the beans a    thicker base.

   6. Blend or food process the entire          batch of beans. This would make more    of a dip or “refried beans” type of a          dish.

   7. Cook with extra water or stock and        blend entire batch into a smooth bean      soup.

Cooking beans from dry (versus buying canned beans) can add variety to your meals as there are so many dry bean options that aren’t available in cans. Shown in the above picture is:

But if you are new to cooking beans from dry you might feel a little lost in wonderland. Below are some tips on cooking beans.

   1. Using a pressure cooker, especially an electric pressure cooker, will make this new task a          breeze.

   2. Lentils and split peas never require soaking. Red lentils and split peas break apart when            cooked.

   3. Beans other than lentils and split peas can be soaked if desired. Soaking decreases cooking    times and allows for much more evenly cooked beans. Some people claim to have reduced          digestive distress when soaking beans.

But if you are new to cooking beans from dry you might feel a little lost in wonderland. Below are some tips on cooking beans.

   1. Using a pressure cooker, especially      an electric pressure cooker, will make      this new task a breeze.

   2. Lentils and split peas never require      soaking. Red lentils and split peas            break apart when cooked.

   3. Beans other than lentils and split          peas can be soaked if desired.                  Soaking decreases cooking times and    allows for much more evenly cooked        beans. Some people claim to have          reduced digestive distress when              soaking beans.

Row 1: cranberry beans, red lentils, black eyed peas, split green peas, vaquero beans

Row 2: mung beans, Christmas lima beans, beluga lentils, garbanzo beans, flageolet beans

Row 3: yellow eye woman, red beans, split yellow beans, scarlet runner, green lentils