When I use the slow cooker for beans, I cook them all day. Soak them overnight then start them in the morning on high. If I am home I will turn it to low mid afternoon. They take a long time to cook as you have discovered:)

Tracey

I never need that much time at home, which is at a lower altitude.

Moni

Certain things just don't work at high altidues....at least I couldn't make them work....they are beans, boiled potatoes and heavy pastas like fettucini.

You didn't use a pressure cooker, that's what you did wrong. :)

At sea level, water reaches the boiling point at 212 degrees.

At 7500 ft above sea level, water boils at 198 degrees.

IOW, the higher the altitude, the lower the boiling point. Water can't get hotter than the boiling point...it turns to steam. So, the solution to the problem is to use a pressure cooker.

Here's Miss Vickie's say:

Here is a link that might be useful: Miss Vickie High Altitude Pressure Cooking

In an emergency, you can add baking soda to the beans to get them soft in a hurry. I think it affects the nutritional value somehow, but at least they will get soft. You can start with 1/4 tsp baking soda for one cup of dried beans, but you may need more. You can add the baking soda at any time during the cooking process.

In Mexico City, people cook beans in a pressure cooker.

Lars

Thanks folks! My daughter doesn't have a pressure cooker, but I won't be cooking dry beans anymore, when I am here.

The beans I quick soaked earlier are still in the slow cooker on high. No progress yet on softening.

Lars, I will add some baking soda, and see what happens. Never heard of that before.

Again, thanks!

Moni

-As altitude increases, dried beans take more time to rehydrate and cook. The difference begins to be noticeable above 3,500 feet.

-Adding a pinch of baking soda is used to raise the pH of the cooking water if you happen to have hard water. Beans, especially old beans, in hard water won't cook as well. Adding too much baking soda actually destroys some nutrients and you may end up with mushy beans.

-Grainlady

Well, my test pot of beans softened up within an hour from adding baking soda!

Thanks again Lars!

Moni

the altitude is the culprit here.And,ci lantro is totally correct about a pressure cooker being the solution.
Cooking at altitude is a new ballgame if you are used to being at sea level,
Anyway, it's doable and worth the time if you are interested. There are a number fo books for high altitude cooking

I am back at 1700 feet. Daughter lives at 6000 feet. We liked the white chili, and are great full for the baking soda trick. I don't think she will ever make it with dry beans. :)

Moni

Hi, OklaMoni. Fellow Okie here, transplanted to WI. I was born in Colorado and we lived there (4700 ft) until I was about five. I'm supposing that's where Mom adapted to using a pressure cooker. I remember her using it quite a bit when we lived in OK.

We lived at Lake Tahoe (6200 ft) for a while--apparently Mom didn't bring the PC along because I remember her complaining about how long it took for beans to cook.

For some inexplicable reason, I didn't really start using my PC until the last few years. It's now earned an indispensable spot on my pots n' pans list. No problem cooking beans here at less than 1100 ft but I love the PC for the speed. We love beans, esp. pintos & I love the PC for them (20 minutes tops) for the simple reason that beans can be on the table without the need to plan ahead. Another great use for it is beef stew (and Swiss Steak). Yet another is making chicken broth.

Anyhoo, I'd say that you have a great idea for a Christmas or birthday gift for your daughter...or pick up a used one at a garage sale for 'just because'. Ya' might want to get one for your own self while you're at it!

I am in the process of cooking some dried pinto beans (old!) and am trying a trick I learned from Dave (?) and Nikki Goldbeck. Soak, then freeze in a layer, store in freezer bags. In MN the beans take only 30 min to cook when you pull them out of the freezer. I am now in CO, 7700 feet, and have had some bean cooking disappointments!!! Even split peas are crunchy!! I did mix all my soup ingredients together and cooked in slow cooker. Next time I do split peas, I will cook them by themselves, then add rest of ingredients. I haven't given up yet. I heard the baking soda destroys B vitamins. -Inge

You may need to use a pressure cooker at 7700. At 8000 you do unless they are on the back corner of a wood stove about all day

Okay, update. I soaked 1 pound pinto beans (boiling method), then placed in freezer on a cookie sheet. After beans were frozen, I put half back in the freezer for later and half I simmered for 3 hours on gas range. They weren't crunchy, but neither were they real soft so I added 1/8 tsp baking soda. Half hour later they were done. Cookbook that I got the freezer method from was David & Nikki Goldbeck's American Wholefood Cuisine. ... So cooking them at this altitude (7700 feet) can be done without a pressure cooker.

Even though I live at only a little over 1000' elevation, I love the pressure cooker for beans because I don't have to plan ahead. When I get a hankering for beans, I drag out the pressure cooker and, in less than 30 minutes, I have beans ready to eat.

i soak the pinto beans over night.. or else all day(at least 8 hours) after rinsing and draining 3 or 4 times first..then soak for 8 + hours..then drain one more time and put in the crockpot with fresh water. then i cook them all night on high...and then the next day ...still on high. by early or mid afternoon they are ready to eat. i add some chopped onion...before i cook them. then the next day add some crushed fresh garlic. then about an hour or so before you are ready to eat..(or after they are tender) we add the salt and pepper. (sometimes we only use salt and pepper and no onion/garlic..if dont have one handy). we live at 6000+ feet....we were at 7,300 or so. i find i have to cook my beans on HIGH for often times over 12 hours...and then on low or warm or simmer. I'm still experimenting after living here for 6+ years in colorado ...(where husband is from) as I'm from the south east. i find it the easiest and healthiest meal..because can eat pinto beans in a bowl as soup..or just beans..or can make burritos..or tostadas...use them the next day with eggs...for a western breakfast...et..(we are vegetarian) i also make pinto beans friday afternoon and cook all night and day a lot on the weekend bc we observe the 7th day sabbath..and for me its the simplest...meal for sabbath..to observe it...without a bunch of cooking and preparation. the anasazi beans which we also can get around here...cook up much faster...it depends what mood you are in....im still experimenting...(the important thing is never to add the salt until they are already tender ...(at the very last). i also throw in dried parsley or cilantro..for green color..et....

also...we add olive oil and a small amount of butter..or just one or the other..however..i try to use a little of both...however..i use butter sparingly...recipes never need as much as they call for...

use of pressure cooker saves fuel unless you have a wood stove that you use for heat anyway.

Just moved to the mile high city and ruined 2 pots of split peas due to cooking for hours, and still crunchy! THE FIX, add at teaspoon of baking soda to the water. The cook up just like at sea level. No pressure cooker needed.

Also....even at sea level that beans will not soften in an acid solution....so tomatoes or catsup or even a lot of brown sugar will cause beans to never ever cook....get soft.
For about 10 years we skiied Breckenridge always with a condo full of teens. I learned from a friend don't even "try" dry beans unless you want to babysit the pot all day....so chili was made with canned beans....and we pratty much ate roasts, ham...a turkey and either baked potatoes or instant mashed. In the summer we could grill and that worked well!

However I ,made bread almost every day, and it rose high and fast!!

My family lived in Wyoming before I was born and one thing that my they just could not get over is that you can't cook a pot of beans there! They were country folk of modest means and dried beans was a staple. But, not there.

It is true that beans will not cook well in an acid. My MIL used to make a lime beans in a tomato based sauce and those beans were always not really done or soft. The family did not realize that beans were better if they were soft and they liked the slightly undercooked beans. The only other beans that they used were canned beans and not much of that. They were not real big bean eaters.

Rice seems to be much the same with an acid. I will often wait until the rice or the beans have reached a certain state of doneness before mixing with the tomato base.