I haven’t eaten meat in about 15 years, so we cook vegetarian meals at our house. And vegetarian cooking calls for the use of a lot of beans! I like to buy my beans dry from the bulk section of the food co-op, not in cans. I think they taste a lot better, I don’t have to worry about potentially harmful chemicals from the cans, and I create less waste. But, the drawback of using dry beans is that you need to plan ahead in order to have them ready for a recipe. They need to be soaked for 8 hours and it often takes quite a bit of time to cook them. So, I can see why a lot of people opt for canned beans – you can just pop open the can and use them right away.
But, over the years I came up with what I think is a great shortcut to having quick and easy to use beans that don’t come in a can. Freezing cooked beans for later use! It’s so easy and convenient.
Let me explain.
If you usually cook your dry beans in a pot of boiling water you know how long it can take. So, this shortcut is definitely one you’ll want to incorporate into your kitchen.
If you eat a lot of beans like we do, I highly recommend getting a pressure cooker. This has revolutionized using dry beans in our house. No more waiting for garbanzo beans to cook for hours in a pot of water. Instead, they take 18 minutes once the pot gets up to pressure. Black beans take 12 minutes! (We have this one.)
Step by step instructions :
Boiling water method – If you’re going to boil the dry beans in a pot, soak them for eight hours. Pour the soaking water out and rinse the beans. Then put them in a pot with fresh water. Bring to a boil and cook until done.
Pressure canner, quick soak method – Soak beans for four hours. Dump soaking water and rinse beans. Fill pressure cooker with beans and fresh water. (There’s usually a fill line you’re supposed to stay under.) Bring cooker up to pressure and set timer depending on what beans you’re cooking. Here’s a good table. When the timer goes off put the pot in the sink and run cold water over it. The pressure will lessen within a minute or so and you’ll be able to take off the lid. Test a bean to make sure it’s done. If so, dump the beans into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. I LOVE this quick soak method because it’s so, well…quick!
Whichever cooking method you used, wait until the beans cool. Transfer them into plastic containers, bags, or glass jars and freeze. I like to use wide mouth canning jars so I can see what’s in there. One pot of beans usually fills between 3-4 quart jars for me. That’ll last us about a month.
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To use: I usually take out a jar to thaw the morning of the day I’m going to use them for dinner. But, sometimes I forget. Luckily, they can be quickly de-thawed using a microwave, or at our house, lots of hot water.
If you follow this method you’ll never have to buy canned beans again! You’ll always have a supply in your freezer. I usually have black beans and garbanzo beans well stocked. Sometimes I’ll also cook pinto and white beans as well.
Do you have any favorite cooking shortcuts or tips? Leave them in the comments below to share with us!
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