Comments on: A Hill of Beans

By: Bar M U

Bar M U — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:48:28 +0000

The funniest bean advice I’ve received is that by adding baking soda to the soaking water, you’ll remove some of the “magic” that brings on the …..well, remember that old rhyme…

beans, beans, the magic fruit
the more you eat the more you…

I haven’t scientifically tested this theory yet.

By: carma

carma — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:13:27 +0000

My, the final product does look tasty!!

By: KathyB

KathyB — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:27:40 +0000

Ah, but after soaking the beans in the pressure cooker I cook them without seal and pressure rocker. Takes longer but has a slow cooked feel and the liquid escapes. Beans must cook down.

This is my issue with slow cookers, how to evaporate enough liquid. I haven’t experimented enough to know.

I am from the Southern dead beans tradition, butter beans pretty much dissolve by the time it is soup. Green beans not soup, just bacony and rich. I grew up knowing pinto beans as soup beans. Went back to the small town about ten years ago for a festival and had a bowl of bean soup from the church on Main Street — yep, pintos. Decades later. They hold up well.

Lentil soup is dynamite cooked my way in pressure cooker. Anything to help you along, Lisa.

By: MAYBELLINE

MAYBELLINE — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:26:33 +0000

Even though it’s nowhere near cool enough, I made chili beans and cornbread today.

Thanks for the inspiration.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:32:31 +0000

Don’t even get me started on the pressure cooker. That’s my other kitchen gadget of choice (as differentiated from a pressure canner). After many not-so fabulous beans in the pressure cooker, I’m now thinking, at least for beans, the slow cooker is the way to go.

By: KathyB

KathyB — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:05:39 +0000

You can make a trip to New Mexico for roasted chili time as part of the experimentation. yes yes yes

I love that my pressure cooker suggests adding quarter cup oil to pound of dried beans for the soaking process. Broth does give a better flavor than water to cooked beans.

You want to come up with a formula for these beans. Those wheels are always turning aren’t they. I like the chemistry and physics of cooking too. Always have. Maybe that is why I enjoy baking for holidays. It isn’t just what is in the recipe, but also conditions in the environment, and handling and all that jazz.

Have fun, sounds like you are.

By: brigid

brigid — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:42:00 +0000

If I remember correctly Mark Bittman has some interesting things to say about cooking beans in “How to cook everything Vegetarian”. I’ll go look and let you know.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:04:34 +0000

Yes, I soaked the beans overnight then discarded the soaking water and rinsed. That I believe in. I’m also now a big believer in cooking in something OTHER than water. For me, the chicken stock and beer gave me a really rich, smokey tasting “gravy” that was great. Beans I’ve cooked in water have been bland. The spices I added were ground cumin and coriander and both really added to the flavor. Most recipes call for adding salt before serving, but I haven’t even needed to as these beans are so flavorful.

By: leigh

leigh — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:51:56 +0000

Did you discard the soaking water and rinse the beans before adding them to the crockpot? (also a point of controversy in my research, I too am trying to find the “right” way)
Good call on the early addition of spices and bacon, I would have done the same as well (mushy/soft bacon = gross texture.)
I have some beautiful beans stocked up from Seed Savers Exchange (http://www.seedsavers.org/Items.aspx?hierId=14) and I don’t want to do ‘em wrong!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:05:57 +0000

Ha! I was just planning to make cornbread and serve the leftover beans as refried beans with chorizo. But it’s up in the 80s today, so maybe not.