I'd like to suggest a copy of the book, "Country Beans" by Rita Bingham. It gives you all kinds of ideas for bean preparation, including using bean flour. Check your local library for this book and a selection of other cookbooks that are bean/legume specific.

You mentioned several methods for cooking beans and I have included a link below with cooking instructions for several methods. Find a method/s you like. There really isn't any one method that is "best" until it's the one you like best.

I quick-freeze cooked beans in user-friendly amounts in small plastic containers. As soon as they are frozen I pop them out of the plastic containers and stack the frozen blocks of beans together. Then I vacuum-seal them in FoodSaver bags and keep them in the freezer. That way I can take out the amount I need to add to salads and other dishes I need cooked beans for, and reseal the bag/s and stick them back in the freezer. They don't take very long to thaw in the refrigerator. Using this method they MUST be kept in the freezer to prevent bacterial growth. Vacuum-sealing using a FoodSaver is NOT a canning method.

A couple methods I use you didn't mention, and are a little obscure, are "cooking" them in a Thermos (using boiling water to cover soaked beans in a Thermos), and I can cook them in a solar oven to keep the heat out of the kitchen and save on energy use. You can Google for information on these methods if you are interested.

I also make "instant" refried beans using bean flour I mill from either pinto or black beans. It takes 5-8-minutes to cook bean flour and water into refried beans. You'll find instructions in the "Country Beans" book, as well as on-line.

You can prepare and pressure can beans (see: Ball Blue Book of Preserving or information from the National Center for Home Food Preservation - http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/beans_peas_shelled.html)
You MUST use a pressure canner for processing because beans are a low-acid food, not a water bath canner or a pressure cooker (the pressure cooker is different than a pressure canner).

Canning the beans will make them shelf-stable, but they must be boiled for 10 minutes (at altitudes below 1,000 ft., and add 1 additional minute per 1,000 ft. additional elevation) prior to use. My problem with canning beans is the unnecessary amount of energy it takes to cook and process them compared to cooking them in a Thermos or Solar Oven.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Central Bean Co., Inc. - How To Cook Beans

I love beans and use a lot of them, and nearly always usee dried because they are cheap and easily available here. Michigan produces something like 80% of the country's dried beans and they're grown in my area so it's local too.

My favorite way to cook beans is to just dump a bag of beans in my crockpot, add some chopped onions/carrots/celery, a bay leaf and some salt and pepper and cook them all day. When I get home, I have beans. You could season them to your taste. I freeze them in sizes I want to use sometimes but mostly I just make several recipes. I have bean soup and cornbread the first night, make baked beans a couple of days later and then finish off with refried beans or white bean dip, depending on the kind of beans I cooked.

I don't usually add meat to the beans, but will occasionally toss in a smoked pork hock or some smoked turkey for that smokey flavor. They are just more versatil cooked without, at least for my uses.

I don't soak them first, but I do wash and "pick" them over for any pieces of organic matter that might have slipped through. They do a better job now, I seldom find anything, but it's an old habit.

Here is a recipe I use that's based on one from Emeril, but the original had bacon and beef which I leave out so I can just have beans. I generally leave out the brown sugar, mustard and catsup but my kids like it in there, so it depends entirely on your taste.

Chili Beans

1 tbls oil (I use olive but use what you have)
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups beef broth (or use chicken broth, beer or more water)
3 cups water, plus more if needed
1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Seasoning, recipe follows
3 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

In a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat cook the onions, bell pepper, garlic in the oil until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, water, chili powder, cumin, seasoning mix and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, and beans are tender and sauce is thick and flavorful, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Note: add more liquid if the sauce gets too thick before the beans are tender.) When the beans are tender and sauce is thickened, add the brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard and cook until thick and flavors have come together, about 20 to 30 minutes longer.

Serve hot.

Seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Annie

Southwestern All Purpose Corn and Bean Salad
Cooking Light

This recipe makes 12 servings and keeps in the refrigerator up to 5 days. It's quite versatile--add shredded chicken and serve tortillas on the side to make it a main-dish salad. Or serve it as a dip with baked tortilla chips, a side for burgers or grilled chicken, or a salad on a bed of lettuce.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
Salad:
1 pound dried black beans
11 1/2 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups chopped seeded tomato
1 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalape peppers, seeded and minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
To prepare salad, sort and wash the beans. Combine beans and 5 1/2 cups water in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain beans; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add beans and 6 cups water. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure, and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain bean mixture; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool. Combine bean mixture, corn, tomato, onion, and bell peppers in a large bowl.

To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 7 ingredients (juice through jalapeños), stirring with a whisk. Stir in cilantro. Pour dressing over bean mixture; stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories:216 (21% from fat)
Fat:5g (sat 0.7g,mono 3g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:10g
Carbohydrate:35.7g
Fiber:8g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:2.8mg
Sodium:408mg
Calcium:65mg

Lar's Texas Bean Dip

3/4 pound (1-1/8 cup) dried red (or pinto) beans (about 2 cups cooked)
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp cumin
1 bunch of cilantro, large stems removed, about 2/3 cup chopped
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (10 oz.) or similar tomatoes, diced with green chilies, drained, liquid reserved
3-4 Serrano chilies, coarsely chopped
6 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tbsp dried oregano)
3-4 cubes (or 3-4 tsp) bouillon-vegetable or beef

Place dried beans in large pot and cover with water to about 3-4 times original depth. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes, cover, and remove from heat and allow to soak for one hour. Discard the soaking water and rinse and sort the beans. Cover with fresh water, with about two inches above the soaked beans, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for one hour, or until done, and discard the cooking water.

Place all of the ingredients except the beans in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the beans, and check for flavor - you may not want to add all of them. If needed, add a bit of liquid from the canned tomatoes to aid in processing. I remove some of the seeds from the chilies and save them, in case it comes out too bland. You can remove more seeds, if you like it mild.

Serve warm or cold with tortilla chips.

BBQ Beans
Cooking Light

These saucy beans are ready in less than 40 minutes--a fraction of the time it takes to make traditional baked beans. If you'd like more of a smoky taste, use a mesquite-flavored barbecue sauce; if you prefer a milder flavor, use a regular tomato-based barbecue sauce. Check the beans for doneness after they've cooked for 6 minutes; if they're still a bit firm, simmer them (not under pressure) until tender.

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

BBQ Beans
Cooking Light

3 bacon slices
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound dried Great Northern beans
10 cup water, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup beer
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Cook bacon slices in a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from cooker; crumble and set aside. Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to drippings in cooker; sauté 2 minutes. Remove bell pepper mixture from cooker; set aside.

Sort and wash beans. Combine beans and 4 cups water in cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid; drain beans.

Combine beans, 6 cups water, and oil in cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 6 minutes. Remove from heat, and place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid; drain beans. Return beans to cooker; add bacon, onion mixture, barbecue sauce, and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until slightly thick.

Nutritional Information
Calories:189 (19% from fat)
Fat:3.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 1.4g,poly 1g)
Protein:7.3g
Carbohydrate:31.8g
Fiber:6.8g
Cholesterol:3mg
Iron:2mg
Sodium:311mg
Calcium:69mg

Annie

I tried canning beans and I have to say I'm disappointed.

First off, it's an hour and a half under pressure. That's a long time. I did quarts, my canner holds seven. Into each quart jar, I poured one cup of dry beans and filled up to the head space mark with boiling water. Even though I followed manufacturer's instructions, there was some siphoning. I was initially proud of myself in spite of the time spent, because of the convenience thing.

However, I found I don't like the texture. Even with extra liquid added at heating time, the beans tend to be a little "gummy" feeling in the mouth. Also they just don't seem to taste as good.

I have a pressure cooker that I might try next time. It holds about 2 quarts, but I would only need to make about a quart for a meal. (there are only 3 of us) From the link Grainlady provided, it appears that one can cook beans in five to eight minutes that way. It sure beats canning beans, which requires a jar and a new flat, 90+ minutes of cooking time, storage space, and then ten more minutes of cooking when ready to eat. I know I do have to store the jar, anyway, so one wouldn't think storage is an issue; however I store my jars in an unheated area and when they have food in them I have to find someplace inside to store them, which is not always easy. Storing dry beans uses only 1/4 the space inside.

Those are yummy sounding recipes. I will have to try them.

Prior to this, for just a simple pot of beans, I have had good results from cooking in a crockpot all day. I don't know how much energy a crockpot uses and maybe I should find out as I use my crockpot a lot. But, it's very easy. Keep in mind the beans will soak up three to four times their size. For six people, you'd probably want 2 to 3 cups of beans, depending on whether you have big eaters or not, and 2 to 3 quarts of water, depending on how soupy you like them. Beans are notorious for having little clumps of dried mud in with them. So pour out a handful, remove dirt and discolored beans, and toss the remainder in a colander. Do this until you have gone through all of what you plan to cook for the day. Then rinse off all the beans and let them drain. Put them in the crockpot, add the water. You can let them soak for awhile, my mother always did, but I don't. I just turn the crock pot on, put on the lid and go about my business. At the end of cooking time, you can add salt. Some people add a dash of Liquid Smoke for flavor, but I don't. DH is a carnivore and so sometimes I will cook the beans in ham broth, with some smoked sausage or a little bit of crumbled cooked bacon. My mother always added a big chunk of ham, fat and all, but I don't like greasy beans, so I don't do that. I'd be happy with just cooking the beans in water. I usually make a batch of corn muffins and sometimes a skillet of fried potatoes. I have a friend who puts potatoes in her beans but I tried it and I'm not a fan. I like my potato accompanyment fried, until they have a little crunch around the edges, sometimes with onion or garlic.

I never buy canned beans but most recipes call for canned and most are 15 oz size cans. How much dry beans do I need to make to get equivalent of 15 oz can beans?
thanks

Yes, use your pressure cooker!

I cook the large, dried lima beans from scratch in around 30 minutes in my pressure cooker. No soaking at all! The smaller the bean, the less amount of time needed.

Get the book "Pressure Perfect" (sorry can't remember the author) as she has all the pressure cooking times required for every kind of dried bean. But I'm sure you look up some of that info on the net too.

The most important thing to remember when cooking dried beans in a PC is to make sure you have enough liquid and to include some sort of fat (I use olive oil) to prevent foaming. The fat/oil prevents the beans from foaming, which could plug up the over pressure ports/safety ports in your PC.

punamysike -

Most dried beans triple in volume when soaked or cooked:

-- 1 pound dry beans = 2 cups dry = 5-6 cups cooked.

-- One 15 ounce can (drained) equals about 1-1/2 to 1-2/3 cups cooked beans.

Black Bean Measures, Substitutions and Equivalents
1 cup dried black beans = 2 to 3 cups cooked black beans
1 pound dried beans = about 2 cups uncooked
1 pound dried beans = 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups cooked
1 cup dried black beans = 3 cups cooked
1 16-ounce can black beans = 2 cups with liquid
1 16-ounce can black beans = 1-1/2 cups drained
1/6 to 1/4 pound dried beans = 1 serving, cooked
3 cups cooked black beans = 6 servings

-Grainlady

Gardengrl, I did not know that about the oil to prevent foaming! Thanks for the heads up.

I looked up Pressure Perfect on Amazon. Is the author Lorna Sass?

Years ago, when I first got into vegetarian eating as a way to live lightly on the planet, all the literature recommended pressure cooking beans to save energy and time, and also providing a good taste and texture. I have an ancient pressure cooker and I have used it ONCE. It's just a big PITA to me, but mine is an old one, not one of the new ones that are cookers and not canners. I have seen Jacques Pepin demonstrate making a fast meal in a pressure cooker and it seems really easy, so if you use yours for other stuff then by all means use that for beans. It's the least energy intense, other than Grainlady's suggestions. I don't know about an all day cooking in a crockpot as far as energy use, but that's how I do mine, because it is easy. I soak them overnight and then cook them the next day. Soaking cuts down on cooking time. I usually do mine on weekends. Add whatever spices you like. I made indian style baked kidney beans a couple of months ago--those were very yummy. Just don't add any acidic ingredients like lemon juice or vinegar until the END of the cooking time, otherwise the bean skins will toughen and you will NEVER get them cooked through. (Ask me how I know, lol!)

Thanks grainlady. I will save this info in a safe place :)

loves2cook4six, I'm also a member of the 'kosher club'. I have found black cardamom imparts some of the smokey flavor of treif bacon in some of the recipes posted. I use about three pods of seeds to one pound of beans. Holler if you want me to send you some, I need to make a Penzeys run anyways.

I'm making some sort of fava bean/brisket concoction tonight after I raided our local Middle Eastern store.

Lpink, I use my pressure cooker instead of my crockpot partly because my electricity rates are 20 times my gas rates. Thats why you don't see me baking much, LOL, I don't like to turn my electric oven on much. If you find a pressure cooker in a thrift shop, grab it. That being said...given your timer issues on the rice cooker thread, maybe put it back on the shelf. And back away.

Ilene, yes it's Lorna Sass.

Her PC cookbooks are fabulous and highly recommended here on the Cooking Forum (that's where I heard about her). I love all her recipes, especially her "Curry in a Hurry" PC recipe.

I use my pressure cooker. I don't like the texture of canned beans. I cook the beans with no salt or anything and put them in the freezer for other recipes. My favorite bean soup is Adzuki beans with coconut milk and chicken broth. I puree the cooked concoction and have a lovely and creamy soup to eat daily before all my meals. I have a Kuhn rikon pressure cooker and love it for its versatility.

Good luck!

Beans are so cheap and so easy to cook.....I don't know what's the big deal.
Put them in a pot covered with water and let them soak over night. In the morning, drain the old water, cover with new and put on the stove to boil. In about an hour and a half....or less for lentils or split peas or pea beans, they will be done....about the time it takes to shower dress, eat breakfast. Stick the beans into the fridg and you have a basis for a dinner.
You can season them while they are cooking....but a can of beans often are just beans.

I pick and sort for stuff in my dry beans. Much cleaner then they used to be I've noticed. Used to be a pebble in most every bag but I've not found a rock or dirt clod in years. Still a weed seed now and then. I rinse them to remove dust.

Chop up an onion into a pot of water and add the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a couple hours. Got beans! More gas then those that soak them but gas is good for your digestive system.

After two hours you have cooked but firm beans. Six or eight hours and you have soft beans. Reheated the next day and you have bean mush... my favorite! When they break down they take on lots of liquid. Use low heat and stir often when reheating soft beans as they burn to the bottom of the pot.

In a hurry? Nuke them with some water for about 20 minutes for a pound package with two cups of water. Check after ten minutes and add more water if needed.

Use fresh beans! After a year beans take on a bitter flavor. My grandfather taught me to throw out last year's beans as they are not worth eating. Watch where you buy them... I grabbed a package without looking at Meijer's and they were over a buck a pound! Local grocer is about half that price... not that fifty cents kills my budget.

I'm eaten several pounds of dry peas recently cooking them the same as the beans. I'm using up some ham but a couple drops of liquid smoke would do as well for flavor. I love a sliver of habenera pepper... not enough to make them hot but it gives a nice tangy note.

I think dry lentils are my most common food of these types. Just lentils and an onion makes a good filling energy providing food.

A side note I just past the 15lbs lost mark from about the start of last November. A couple holidays and many beers so I'm really happy with my diet. Beans, peas, lentils, and rice have been major "filler" foods that help me feel full with lots of energy for work.

Wing your chili and never look back! I love kidney beans and cabbage with hot peppers... some cumin and you could call it chili. Garlic if you want it sweet. Good tomatoes really help but I've used a squirt of ketchup when in a hurry. Either I've got a magic touch or chili is really hard to make bad. I make everything from skillet chili which has almost no liquid to chili soup that is mostly liquid. If I made vegatarian chili for someone I'd probably go a half pot of tomatoes, quarter pot of beans, some onion, squash, couple mildly hot peppers, bit of garlic, few shakes of cumin, tablespoon of chopped cumin seed, and maybe a handful of corn. I salt and black pepper it to taste at serving time. Making for just myself I pour on the hot peppers but that is my taste.

good luck!

: )
lyra

Lyra, I have to disagree about using beans in a year. A while back, I inherited about 20 pounds of dry pintos and black beans; it took several years for me to cook and use them all. I don't even know how old they were when I got them, but they were just as good as the bags I buy today and cook tonight.

We're big bean eaters nowadays. They're great for helping with weight loss, economical, and quick to fix in a pressure cooker. If I remember to soak them overnight, I do. If I forget, I give them a one minute boil followed by a one hour soak; then six minutes under pressure is all it takes. They keep well in the fridge for a week, so I'd never bother with the time and space it takes to can or freeze the cooked beans. I buy them in 5# bags now.

I pick through them, wash them thoroughly, and use the soak water to cook them in for a nice rich pot of beans. I've only recently heard about foaming issues, so I've never used anything to reduce it (don't know if my beans foam, but I don't think so).

Thank goodness for beans!

Sherry

lyra/Michael, I think you and I are spoiled, LOL, we can get dried beans locally and so we do. I find that "old" beans don't always cook to a consistency I like, so I avoid letting mine get stale too. I've never thrown any out but I've tried cooking a bag that was sitting in the pantry for a couple of years and they just stayed hard, never really "cooked down" the way I like them. Others may not mind that consistency.

As for your chili, I think if you like chili it's really hard to make a bad batch. The same with beans, I just like them so it's hard to make them in a way I don't like.

Cooking beans on the stove is easy, that's for sure. I just don't have a hour and a half before I have to go to work in the morning. I don't even eat breakfast at home, I get up at 6:30 and should be to work by 8, depending on how fast I walk. It's usually closer to 8:30 before I get there. I work until 7 pm usually, so if I made the beans when I get home, I wouldn't have supper until 9 because I walk back home and don't get home until about 7:30. So, except for Saturdays (I always spend Sundays on the farm, catching up out there), I don't have an hour and a half to cook beans. That's why they always get done in the crockpot. And no, I never soak them. Never have, and I don't worry about foam either.

Annie

I soaked a batch of white beans overnight lastnight.
Just put them in the crockpot with homemade chicken stock to cover, and sauted onions and garlic..with a palmful of cumin and a good pinch of red pepper flakes, then dumped that in and stired. Right now it's on high..I'll give it an hour or so, then turn to low and go on about my day.
I've got volunteer time in the Art room this afternoon, and #2 has baseball practice. I need hot ready food today, with little stove time. I'll make ahead biscuits and have the dough resting in the fridge. And have the dry ingredients for corn muffins mixed and ready for wet when we get home.
That way while I'm fussin about homework and such, and everyone is getting stuff put away, I can pop the "breads" in the oven.
It's our first night for a few months of after 7pm dinners..UGH!

RE: Using "old" beans.

Source: "Country Beans" - by Rita Bingham

"Dry beans will keep indefinitely if stored below 70°F in a tightly covered container in a dry place. Do not keep dry beans in the refrigerator, as the moisture they absorb will adversely affect cooking times. High temperature and humidity, as well as age, lengthen the cooking time..."

So expect older beans to take longer to cook.

My personal experience, beans last a long time. I find milling old beans into bean flour works better for use than boiling them.

Small white beans milled into flour are best used in baked goods because they have the least beany flavor. Bean flour combined with wheat flour "accomplishes protein complimentation" - a complete protein.

Other types of beans milled into flour can be used in soups, sauces, gravies and as thickeners.

Hint for the day: New crop pinto beans are much lighter in color (creamy tan) than old pinto beans - which tend to be much darker.

-Grainlady

You didn't mention whether you live at a high altitude. We live on the southern coast so I cook beans in the slow cooker all the time without problems.

But on another cooking forum, some were complaining that their beans never got soft cooking in the slow cooker. That was a tip off that they were possibly at a high altitude where only a pressure cooker can really cook the beans to a decent softness.

That's at least what others reported. I don't know first hand. Also, if beans are very old, some reported that they will take longer to cook but I haven't experienced that problem either. But just wanted to let you know in case you weren't aware.

Sorry for doing a disappearing act on y'all - life here took a busy turn the last couple of days.

Thanks for all the posts. I have read them all and there is a ton of info here but it seems I should just jump right in and give it a go.

I am going to try black beans first as I have a really good soup recipe I want to try them in.

Thanks for giving me some confidence and hopefully I'll get great results.

We do a lot of various bean soups. I don't soak either but I do boil for about 5 to 10 mins then simmer. I never add my acid until the beans are cooked.