How to Cook Dried Beans

If you're trying to save money and reduce your exposure to BPA, buying organic bulk beans instead of canned is a good idea. Unless you're making lentils, dried beans require some planning and lots of (passive) cooking time but making them isn't hard. Here's how:

1. Before bed, decide you want to eat beans tomorrow night.
2. Measure out how much dry beans you want to prepare, keeping in mind you'll have about 3 times the volume of beans once they are cooked.
3. Pour beans on a plate. Pick out stones, funky looking beans, and whatever other debris might be in there.
4. Rinse beans in a colander.
5. Put beans in the pot you'll cook them in and cover with lots of water (about 4 times as much water as you have beans). Soak overnight.
6. In the morning, drain water and rinse beans again.
7. Cover beans with water to cook. Add a piece of kombu to the cooking water too, especially if beans make you gassy. Don't add any salt.
8. Cook beans until tender. On a stove top, it will take a few hours, but this is the perfect time to discover why everyone is raving about Downton Abbey. Bring the beans to a boil then simmer. If you've got a slow cooker, make the beans in there. It will take forever but you'll be able to leave the house while they cook. Hate waiting? Use a pressure cooker to make beans in a fraction of the time.
9. Extra beans can be cooled then transferred to wide mouth mason jars (don't fill to top) and stored in the freezer for future use.

More bean cooking tips: How to Cook Beans on the Stove via TheKitchn.com

Do you cook dried beans? What do you do while you wait for them to cook?

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