Comments on coast to coast: bean count

Hey Alina. Sorry for commenting ages after the ori...

2009-05-04T11:02:00.000-04:00

Hey Alina. Sorry for commenting ages after the original post. I've just felt a craving for beans, and decided to cook some that I've had in my cupboard for a long time. I worried about cooking unsoaked beans, only to remember that I once read a comment on your blog about boiling water and putting the beans in for a few minutes, and letting them stand for an hour or so. Just checked back to confirm that was right. Thanks C. Starchenko for the tip! Alina, your blog actually adds value to people's lives (me!)

Oh, I am so glad I read this post! I have been th...

2009-03-14T10:54:00.000-04:00

Oh, I am so glad I read this post! I have been thinking that using dried beans is something I SHOULD do but haven't. Now I think I'll just stick with the cans. After all, even the canned variety are hard to sell in my family. So your experiment was not a waste...it has saved others of us from attempting similar disappointments!

Heehee.... I can just picture you doing that! And ...

2009-03-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

Heehee.... I can just picture you doing that! And I am proud of you for trying, so far the only beans I have tried are pinto and they are quite easy. After they are cooked I put them in a blender with olive juice and some seasonings if you want (chili powder and such) but the olive juice is where the flavor comes from. Now the kids and I can't eat the canned version.

Alina, this made me laugh. Great writing. :)I've...

2009-03-06T19:04:00.000-05:00

Alina, this made me laugh. Great writing. :)
I've yet to really brave dried beans myself - I proudly enjoy canned black beans often. But I do want to try to use some dry red lentils in our pantry - I'll wait for Kate's recipe....

Someone already mentioned it, but when I make pint...

2009-03-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

Someone already mentioned it, but when I make pinto beans, the secret it salting when they are almost done. It really does make a difference than if you salt at the beginning.

It's the same story with me trying to make perfect...

2009-03-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

It's the same story with me trying to make perfect and savory rice.

C. Starchenko: Thanks for the tips! Really helpful...

2009-03-05T23:15:00.000-05:00

C. Starchenko: Thanks for the tips! Really helpful...maybe, when I get up the nerve, I'll make another attempt.

Peter: I see the giraffe. Too funny. The lighting was a gift. The afternoon sun streaming made for some cool shadows and golden hues. I normally photograph in the morning light but had fun shooting in the late afternoon for this one.

You've now given me an idea for my next week's coo...

2009-03-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

You've now given me an idea for my next week's cooking challenge! (little plug; helppetercook.com). I never realized they'd be a pain to cook because I openly admit to just having them out of the can, mainly black beans. Now it seems like a challenge I'd like to try to. As others have said, don't give up!

I really like the lighting in the photos as well. And that the beans make a giraffe in the last one. :)

maybe you could try this: bring a pot of water to ...

2009-03-05T14:38:00.000-05:00

maybe you could try this:

bring a pot of water to a boil. Add your beans, boil for 2 minutes (yes. thats right). Then turn off the heat, let them sit, covered for an hour. This is the equivalent of soaking for 8 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to cook, drain all the water from the beans, and add the beans to a new pot of water and boil for about 25 minutes or so all the while adding your ingredients for the dish you are making. The beans should be ready if you blow on them and the skin breaks.

I spent many hours throwing out hard, yucky tasteless beans. I've arrived at the conclusion that beans are "social". They like to have company while cooking. <-- that sounds dumb, but its true in my experience and there's no other way to put it for me.

Good luck on your bean adventures.

Nan--Thanks for the advice. Whenever it comes fro...

2009-03-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

Nan--Thanks for the advice. Whenever it comes from you, I don't consider it "unsolicited."

Kate--That does sound frightening...old, stale bean water. Yummo! As for lentils? I almost mentioned them in the success category. They almost always turn out with a little curry stirred in and served over rice. Care to share your soup recipe? Also, in the link I included to whole foods, they suggest cooking lentils in one of their ready made jarred curry sauces. That sounds like my idea of fast food.

i will suppress the urge to tell you about a great...

2009-03-05T13:25:00.000-05:00

i will suppress the urge to tell you about a great lentil soup recipe i have. then again, i think lentils are a different ball game than other dried beans.

your post is timely - the other day i decided to make a white bean bruschetta-like dish with dried beans. i put them out to soak in the morning, realized i didn't have time to deal with them, popped open some canned beans, forgot about covered soaking beans, almost left for the weekend after they had been soaking for close to two days.

not a pleasant smell...

embrace the cans, my friend, and live to fight another day.

I come from a long line of bean makers/eaters and ...

2009-03-05T11:59:00.000-05:00

I come from a long line of bean makers/eaters and I want you to enjoy your own made your way,so heres a little unsolicited advice....
*add salt only AFTER beans are tender
*salt added early will toughen the beans
*when beans are tender bring to a boil without the lid to reduce extra liquid
*smashing a few beans (or more)against the side of the pot with a spoon will help to thicken the broth
Please try again, nan

Jess...Your advice is well timed! I was just remem...

2009-03-05T05:40:00.000-05:00

Jess...Your advice is well timed! I was just remembering a distant memory of my abuela's beans always coming straight from a pressure cooker to the table! Yes, I do think this might be the magic key. Uh oh, I think I sense optimism. Dang it!

i can absolutely see where you're coming from but ...

2009-03-05T04:48:00.000-05:00

i can absolutely see where you're coming from but i have a secret to share that has made cooking dry beans a delight - we bought a pressure cooker.

i can't remember cooking beans without them now the pressure cooker makes it so easy and so much more enjoyable! we win every time!

hope this helps!

personally I haven't even TRIED. I have a great b...

2009-03-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

personally I haven't even TRIED. I have a great bean soup recipe...but I just use canned beans...

Thanks for making us smile (as always!!)

Oh how I relate to this post! Once again you make ...

2009-03-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

Oh how I relate to this post! Once again you make me realize that I am not alone. I have given up on dried beans, but a recent flurry from some friends on Facebook has made me confident in one more attempt... somewhat funny that you post this! Thanks for the links to the beans information I have been trying to track down some of this!

I totally agree on the black bean mystery. Canned ...

2009-03-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

I totally agree on the black bean mystery. Canned is always most flavorful. Abuela might have to share her secret. I've lately enjoyed cooking dried split peas. Combining it with those miracle spices helps makes a delicious split pea soup. I'll share the recipe with you sometime.

Jen