it's been a long time but i was never able to get them to come out right so i've stuck with canned. i've been getting into these "all in one" meals for meal planning and want to do some rice and beans
Pressure cooker. The cheapest you can get will do. If you forgot to soak the beans overnight just cook it 15 minutes longer and voilá
Seconding this, my friend got an Instapot recently and was so excited to tell me how much easier it was to make beans with it.
also beware because some exotic beans may require multiple rounds of soak/boil unless you want to fuck up your stomach
Seconding no-soak. For all your basic beans, black, navy, pinto, black-eyed, etc, a simple boil and couple hour simmer will do.
I usually just toss in a boulion cube but any salt and aromatics will do.
Wow I’ve never had luck with no soak. Interesting.
I do 45 mins in a pressure cooker (stovetop kind)
Never messed with a pressure cooker. It does take longer without the soak though.
i bought a wide variety of dried beans so i'm going to try your method and some other people's and see what is best. will report back later!
I guess the bellies in my household are bit sensitive so we prefer to do several soaks and rinses the day before cooking.
3 parts water to 1 part beans is the ratio I tend to use.
I've heard bad things/had bad experiences with salting the water before the beans were done cooking. So I tend to operate on the logic of, cook to the desired softness before adding seasoning. (When I first started cooking beans I added salt to the water the same way I'd add salt to boiling pasta water and the beans just stop softening. :shrug-outta-hecks: I could be wrong or misremembering though.)
If I cook them over flame, in a pot with a lid, for the first 30 minutes or so I'll take a spoon and scrape off the froth that starts to build up on top. I find it helps reduce unwanted belly noises and gives less of a chance for boil over. I'll turn down the flame and check/stir every 5~10 minutes until the beans are the right consistency. Add like 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid at a time if the beans are cooking slower than the liquid is boiling off unless you're fine with more soupy beans.
If electricity and space aren't a problem, an electric crock pot is straight up "fire and forget". (Don't have an insta pot but they do look super spiffy.) Do your soaking and rinsing then toss the beans in the pot with the water/broth, read the instructions, crank the heat up and check on it every 30 minutes or so, stir, add liquid as needed, when the beans are soft enough start adding everything else. Veggies, rice, seasonings, whatever.
Add liquid to make it soupy or add a starch like flour, corn/tapioca to thicken it up.
