Most people (including myself, until very recently) do not see the value in making a pot of beans.
Bean it
Most people (including myself, until very recently) do not see the value in making a pot of beans. Why take the time to soak, simmer and flavor, when I can just pop open a can and have some already made for me? Well, for starters, have a look at your standard
99-cent can of beans and check out the sodium content. Why is that number so much bigger than the others? Impressive, huh? A little scary, even. And the usual rebuttal to the sodium argument is “just rinse your beans; now they’re fine,” which is a good approach if you’re short on time. But I’ve found that rinsing canned beans, while reducing sodium, rather zaps the flavor.
Meanwhile, in a pot of beans, you control how much salt goes in, and you have several servings to last you a long time for under three dollars. The pot of beans will last for about a week in the fridge, and even longer if you freeze some of it (with its cooking liquid).
Anyway, the recipe for beans is so simple; it’s not even really a recipe. The steps are standard:
HOW TO PREPARE BEANS
1. Pour a bag (or pound if you bought in bulk) of beans in a strainer. Rinse, making sure there are no clumps of dirt or rocks. Put the beans in the largest pot you have. Fill the pot with enough water so the beans are covered by a few inches. Let the pot sit all day while you’re in class or overnight (there are variations to not soaking as well; simply skip the soaking and bring the pot of beans to a boil before moving on to step two).
2. Drain the beans and put them back in the pot, adding more water so it’s about double or triple the height of the beans. Throw in any flavorings (except for salt, which you will add later): carrots, shallots, garlic, onion, etc.
3.Bring the heat to a simmer (it will take a while to bubble; you can increase this by covering it for a little).
4. Let simmer until you taste a bean that is to your liking—its doneness is really based on your preference; some like creamy beans, some like them more firm. Add salt in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
And that’s all there is to it. Some beans will take 45 minutes to cook; some will take a few hours. I like to make mine on a free afternoon when I can just let the pot simmer in the background of whatever else I’ve got going on.
My favorite preparation recently has been adding cumin and carrot to a pot of pinto beans, and when they are done, serving them dressed in white wine vinegar, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
