Reap the Benefits of Dried Beans

Beans are an excellent source of fiber, protein and other healthy substances. They should be a part of everyone's diet whether that diet is a vegetarian one or not. Opening a can of beans is easy and inexpensive, but cooking dried beans is even less expensive. The health benefits of dried beans exceed those of canned beans, also. Canned beans have more sodium, less fiber and may contain sugar in the form of corn syrup. Whenever possible, cooking dried beans is the healthiest way to go.

The problem with cooking dried beans is that they take planning to make. There are several methods of preparing and cooking dried beans. Some require more time than others but cooking dried beans always requires that you know ahead of time that you will be preparing them.

For most types of beans the following is true: One pound of dried beans will equal two cups of dried beans which will make five to six cups of cooked beans. Beans should be soaked for at least four hours before they are cooked. Eight cups of water for every cup of dried beans is needed for soaking, so be sure that you have a pot big enough to use adequate water. Soaking dried beans can be done with a quick method by boiling the soaking water and beans for three minutes and then turning off the heat and allowing the beans to continue soaking for two hours. Soaking maximizes the nutrition of dried beans by making it possible to cook them for less time, thus exposing the beans to nutrient-destroying heat for a shorter time. Soaking also makes a creamier, softer bean after cooking.

There are a few methods of cooking dried beans. The traditional method takes the shortest amount of time and it is probably the most commonly used method for cooking dried beans. Before cooking dried beans, drain the soaking water and rinse them. Do not use the soaking water for cooking dried beans. When cooking the beans, use about three cups of water for every cup of beans. Bring the beans and water to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Boiling beans will lead to broken skins and mushy beans. Most beans will be cooked well enough to eat within two hours. Begin checking the beans for tenderness after about 1.5 hours of cooking.

If you don't have the time for the more hands-on traditional method of cooking dried beans, the crock pot is your friend. After soaking the beans as outlined above, place them in the crock pot and fill with three cups of water for every cup of beans. Cook the beans on low for 8 hours. The cooking water does not need to be discarded and can be used where needed in the meal you are making.

Using the pressure cooking method for cooking dried beans can yield soft, delicious beans. As with other methods, soak the beans first. After rinsing them, put them in the pressure cooker and add four cups of water for every one cup of beans. Add one tablespoon of oil per each cup of beans. Do not fill the pressure cooker above the half mark. Cook at 15 pounds of pressure for about 30 minutes. Check the beans for doneness.

Whatever your chosen method for cooking dried beans, you can be assured that the beans will make a tasty, filling and healthy meal. For bean recipe ideas be sure to check out vegetarian cookbooks or online recipe websites.