Soaking beans shortens the time they need to cook...usually by about 25%....salting the soaking liquid further shortens the cooking time.\
dont' cook beans by the clock any more than you raise bread b y the clock.....the beans are done when they are soft and not crunchy...whether it takes 60 minutes or 3 hours.

I don't know that we import beans but for certain speciality beans like corona beans.
Linda C

Seems I read that soaking and cooking beans with added salt (or tomato products) prevents them from softening as compared to cooking without salt or tomato. So, I never salt the soaking water or add salt to the cooking beans. I wait until the beans are cooked to my desired tenderness, then I add salt to taste and any other ingredients, such as tomatoes, catsup, molasses, spices, etc.

just my opinion and experience,
Teresa

I actually cooked some dried beans just yesterday. Had a little ham in freezer and made a smallish batch of soup with big dried limas. They also wrinkled up pretty much immediately after hitting water. Simmered a while... hour or so... and they came out just fine.

I think "they" say that you shouldn't salt water for beans... makes them tough?? Don't know.

But do THINK that the age of dried beans makes a difference?? Found a mason jar of garbanzos WAY in back of cabinet... NO idea how old they were, but, HEY, dried beans don't go "bad", do they? Tried making variation on baked beans, from scratch, with a recipe I had success with in the past... figured beans is beans, right?!? After an amount of time that SHOULD have been getting near cooked... still HARD. Had to add more liquid several times to keep pot from going dry, and they NEVER got soft... think cuz really old? Problem wasn't using garbanzos instead of navy or other white bean... bought new bag and they cooked up just fine.

Salted water actually decreases the time it takes beans to get soft...cooked. think about it....salted water boils at a higher temperature ( not much...but even a degree helps) so takes less time to cook.
When you put a ham bone and beans in a pot to cook.....don't you think that water is salty?
However old beans do take longer.....the older the beans the longer to cook. I have had black beans that never seemed to cook up. I know they would have....but I got sick of that bubbling pot and tossed them!
Linda c

There are beans sold here that are grown overseas, but in general, it is not necessary to buy them. I found lentils from Lebanon in the Middle Eastern section of the grocery store, and they cost three times as much as domestic beans, and so I made sure that I looked for lentils with the other beans.

I never cook beans with salt or tomatoes except for lentils - they always seem to get done regardless of what I add to them. I have a similar experience with split peas, although I do not cook them as often. I have lentils almost once a week, and my other favorite is garbanzos. I cook those until they are almost done before I add other ingredients, however, although I'm not sure whether that is necessary or not, but I like to be able to predict how long I will have to cook the added ingredients. I sometimes add 1/4 teaspoon to the garbanzos to make them cook faster, but this also makes them saltier, and so Linda may have something with the salt making the cooking go faster. I have not conducted a controlled experiment, and so I do not know from experience.

Lars

Dried beans get done quickly in a pressure cooker.

dcarch

You aren't supposed to put salt on them until they are tender. I once screwed up when I was a new cook and learned the hard way. Salt only after the beans are almost finished. I have heard a lot of people say it doesn't matter but take it from someone who couldn't figure out why my beans would never get tender...it definitely does matter!

The real killer of dried bean softness is anything acid. Absolutely do not add acid to the beans until they are done cooking or they will never ever soften. That means vinegar, mustard, tomato products, or citrus, etc. I know people add baking soda to the soaking water or cooking, I have never heard of adding salt. Salt in general leaches vitamins out of stuff, the water soluable ones that is. I do not salt my beans while soaking, but do salt the cooking water. I make dried beans all the time. Beans vary in freshness. Old beans sometimes never get soft. I have had bad experiences with navy beans. Haven't cooked any great northerns lately. Try to buy your beans from a place where you know there will be a fast turnover. The best beans I buy are from an ethnic market, folks who shop there still cook in the old ways, they have a great selection and they are usually quite fresh. Not sure if they put dates on dried beans but they should. Old beans are only fit for a pea shooter!

I've always been told not to salt beans before cooking.
That toughens them up. I do the short soak by covering the cleaned beans with water and bringing them to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and let them sit for an hour. That does shorten the cooking time.
I'm have friends that grow beans...so I usually have really fresh dried beans.
Linda

re: the brining.

I copied a recipe a couple of years ago for a soup from, I think, CoconutNJ. We love it, and this was what I have recorded:

Coconut brines her beans (1 lb) by soaking them overnight in 1/4 to 1/2 cup salt in a gallon of water.

This is what she says: I just started brining the beans in the past six months or so and can't believe the difference. The skins are so much more tender and it takes a lot less time to cook the whole soup. The outcome is that you can cook it till the beans are tender without having all the skins come off and floating around.

Judi

I just noticed that I forgot to put "baking soda" afte the 1/4 teaspoon! I only add baking soda to garbanzos or old beans. I've never trie brining them, but since I have an aversion to salt, I don't think I would try that. I have noticed that baking soda seems to be more effective when added to soaking water, which is thrown out, however.

Lars