The Vegan Basics
How To Cook Dried Beans
Buy Great Beans
Inspect whatever beans you plan on purchasing from your market. The surface of the bean should be smooth, firm, uniform in size and color... in fact the colors of the beans should be bright. Avoid any beans that are broken, blistered looking, wrinkled or shriveled.

The beans listed in the chart below are only the basics. There are other hybrid beans and heirloom varieties that can be found on the internet, by special order from your market, or catalogs.


Bob's Red Mill for the BEST in Beans.


Dried Bean Math
Since dry beans must rehydrated, they will expand to about 2 1/2 times their dried measure size.

How to Store Dried Beans
Dried beans can be stored in plastic bags or containers in a cool, dry cabinet, drawer or shelf. High humidity and temperatures are BAD for dried beans. And beans that are OLD will never cook correctly. I would only keep dried beans for a year.

The Dried Bean Sort
Measure out the beans you will cook.

Use a white plate or bowl and sprinkle a few on the plate to search for dirty beans, tiny stones or damaged, wrinkled or broken beans that may be mixed in with the good beans.

Remove any misshaped or damaged beans, dirt or stones.
Yes, you must do this step or you could damage teeth when eating them later!

Pour the checked beans into a large bowl.

Cover the beans with water and remove any "floaters". Floaters are DUDS and will not cook properly.

The Flatulent Dried Bean Soak
"I can't eat beans, they give me GAS!"

If you experience abdominal gas "flatulence" from eating beans, this little step may eliminate that problem for you.

After inspecting the beans and rinsing them, put them in a large bowl and fill with COLD water... water amount should be three times the amount of beans measured or more.

Soak the beans overnight... you'll see them double in size and most of the water will have been absorbed by morning.

In the morning, rinse and drain the beans three or four times till the water runs clear.

Why Soaking Dried Beans Eliminates GAS
Many readers have emailed me wanting to know why soaking the beans works. So here's a simple explanation for "Flatulent Free Beans"!

Soaking dried beans activates the beans to begin the germination process. Once wet, the beans release enzymes that begin to break down their complex sugars into more simple ones. It is the bean's complex sugars that give you gas and indigestion after eating beans that haven't been pre-soaked. The overnight soak method reduces 60% of the complex sugars in most beans.

HINT: There is no need to pre-soak dried black-eyed peas, split peas, peas, or any variety of lentils.

NO SALT When Cooking Dried Beans
Add NO SALT until the beans are tender and cooked completely. Adding salt will prevent the beans from absorbing water. This is because a bean has an opening that is large enough for water molecules to enter it, but salt molecules are larger and will plug the bean opening, preventing the water to enter... thus you have HARD beans that never seem to cook right. Some say the bean is TOUGH, but the scientific reality is that the bean only got to absorb the water you soaked it in and not the water you cooked it in.

I could get more scientific, but if you cook a batch of beans with and without salt, your tongue will taste and feel the difference in the beans.

So add the salt and seasonings AFTER the beans are tender and the consistency you want the finished recipe to represent.

High Altitude Dried Bean Cooking Times
I live at 4,570 feet above sea level, so when I cook anything, it takes longer. My mom used to use a pressure cooker to cook things quickly, but I don't like pressure cookers for beans.

So realize that if you are at a higher altitude, the cooking times may be longer and you will have to adjust it by the "taste test" or you can decide if you want to eat the beans with a firmer texture or "cooked to death soft."

Bean Boil Foam
Add the rinsed beans to the pot and cover them with water. Use enough water to cover the beans and have at least one inch above the bean level. Do not use excess water, just enough to keep them from drying out during the boiling process.

When the pot contents begin to boil, the surface will form a white foam from the gases being released from the beans. This is not a time to leave the kitchen!!! I have had this boil over many times and the clean-up is no fun! While the beans boil, skim off off the white foam that appears on the surface of the cooking water with a large spoon and discard.

Turn the burner down to the lowest setting for a gently simmer and cover the pot with a lid... cook for 1 hour.

Taste Test
After simmering the beans for three quarters of the suggested cooking time, taste a bean to make sure it is soft enough, if not, cook for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Once the beans are done to your taste test, turn the heat off, drain the liquid off, add seasonings or sauces and serve.

Economical
Canned beans are convenient and a real time saver, but they don't taste like home cooked. It is also very economical for families to cook their own beans rather than purchase store-bought canned versions.

HINT: Not all beans need soaking, so make note of those in the chart!

For a step-by-step dried bean cooking recipe, go to Simply Mexican, Pinto Beans for a photo sequence that demonstrates each step of the cooking process.