Cooking Dried Beans

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Pick over beans, removing any broken beans, stones, or other foreign
matter. Rinse them. It is not absolutely necessary to presoak beans
before cooking, but it does cut down on the cooking time, and it also
reduces their flatulent effect. To soak, place them in a large bowl,
and cover them with fresh, cold water (roughly three times the volume
of the beans). Remove any beans that float to the surface, as they
are probably hollow from insect damage. Cover with plastic wrap, and
let stand at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours or as long as
overnight. It may be necessary to refrigerate the beans if the
kitchen is warm, to prevent fermentation. Note: If you don't have
time to soak beans overnight, use this quick-soak method. Place the
beans in a large pot with plenty of space for expansion, and cover
with at least 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, turn
off the heat,and let stand for 1 hour. Drain the beans. When you're
ready to cook them, place beans in a large pot, and cover them with
at least 2 inches of cold water. You can add seasonings to the pot --
Martha likes to include half an onion, a rib of celery cut into
2-inch pieces, a few sprigs of thyme, tarragon, or parsley, and about
a dozen black peppercorns. A few cloves of garlic or a bay leaf are
other optional additions. For even more flavor, cook them in chicken
stock instead of water. Note: Salt and acidic foods like tomatoes
will toughen the skins of the beans and prevent them from becoming
tender. Never salt beans at the beginning of the cooking process-add
salt about 10 minutes before finished cooking. Also, beans should
always be precooked if you want to use them in a tomato-based dish.
Bring to a full boil, reduce the heat and simmer the beans gently.
Occasionally give the beans a gentle stir to help them cook evenly.
If the water runs low (to the surface of the beans) add more boiling
water-not cold water. The beans will take anywhere from just under an
hour to 2 hours to cook, depending on variety and age. Small beans
like adzukis, back-eyed peas, and flageolets cook the fastest, and
larger beans like limas and gigandes take the longest. Most
average-size beans will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook.
Consult the package for a precise time. When the beans are tender, or
still a little firm if you are using them in a salad and want them to
remain whole, turn off the heat, but don't drain. Let them cool in
the cooking liquid at least until they are lukewarm. This will help
prevent the skins from peeling off and ruining the look of the beans,
and it will also give them a chance to continue soaking up the
flavorings and the salt. If you're not using the beans right away,
they can be stored in the cooking liquid until ready to use, or
drained and rinsed right away. Discard the onion, garlic, and other
additions, and proceed with your recipe.
Information Source: Martha Stewart Living - <www.marthastewart.com>
Formatted for Mastercook by Lynn Thomas - dcqp82a@prodigy.com
Recipe by: Martha Stewart
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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