Cook your dry beans until they taste done....then proceed with the recipe....but remember that a pound of dry beans will cook up to be equal to about 4 cans of canned beans.
Don't salt them until after they are done.
But it will take about an hour or perhaps more to get the dry black beans done...tender.
Taste one to be sure...it should be tender all through.
I love black bean soup....haven't made it in years.
Linda C

Four cans will be about 7-1/2 cups of cooked beans, drained, I would guess. A few beans more or less won't make a difference! Cook as directed and add the drained, cooked beans to your recipe. If you are adding already cooked beans you won't need to adjust the cooking time of the recipe.

Draining off the soaking water before cooking the beans makes no difference in your recipe.

Thanks. Too late on the salt though. I didn't add much to the water, just a shake.
They sort of stink. I hope thats normal lol!
Maybe I should drain the warm water and add another pot of equally warm water....

BEAN MATH

1 pound of dry beans = 2 cups DRY beans OR 6 cups COOKED

1 can (15-oz.) = about 1-1/2 c. cooked beans
1 can (16-oz.) = about 1-2/3 c. cooked beans

1 can (15-oz.) = 1/2 c. dry beans that have been rehydrated (soaked) and cooked.

Beans double in volume (some beans nearly triple) when soaked and cooked.

-Grainlady

Next time with dried beans, remember no salt until the end. And never, never, never any acid. It toughens the bean skins and they will not soften, no matter how many hours you cook the beans. Ask me how I know! :)

Why do I do this to myself? These these have been soaking in warm/hot or simmering water for 4 and half hours and they feel the same as they did 2 hours ago. And I didn't add any acid.
Canned from here on in I swear. I can afford the extra couple of bucks!

Maybe they're done?! Maybe you need to up the temp. a little bit. I simmer my black beans for about 3 hours to get them done. You need to use at least double the amount of water as beans.
Beans are easy peasy in a crockpot. Soak 'em overnight, drain the water, put in the crockpot with double the amount of water as beans, put the lid on and in about six hours they are done. I add a bay leaf, onion, garlic, cumin and oregano. Salt at the end, :)

Well the whole soup is as done as its going to get and I'm not impressed. I'm going to take some to work and if one of the guys I work with likes it I'm going to give it to him.
ARGH!
I really need to get away from heavy creamy cheesy stuff and I thought this would help. Not.

A good bean soup is the perfect way to eat something hearty but healthy. Do you have a crockpot? Because bean soup is sooooo easy in the crockpot, and so yummy. It is almost a Sunday tradition at my house, some kind of beans which then makes the house smell pretty good. Just empty the beans from the bag, rinse and sort for any oddballs (rarely) then fill up the crock with water and beans and soak overnight. There are other ways of soaking the beans, and you don't absolutely have to soak them, but this is just a very, very easy way of doing it. Drain the next morning, add 6 cups water, whatever seasonings you like, and cook on high for a few hours. I use unsalted vegetable bouillon cubes, a bay leaf, and a cut up onion and a small amount of garlic. For black bean soup I stick a couple of cloves in some of the onion pieces, and add oregano and cumin. If you're a meat eater, I guess some kind of ham too. In my black bean soup I add celery, tomatoes and a small can of corn, because I like colorful soup. At the end, add 1 TBLSP of either red wine vinegar or lemon or lime juice. Salt to taste. I also top my black bean soup with red pepper sauteed in olive oil until soft and sprinkled with paprika. Tiny pinch of cayenne for some zing. Serve with a dollop of lowfat sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro if you like it, or parsley. I could type out the whole recipe if that sounds good to you.

I avoided dried beans for years and years, but now that I have a crockpot I make them all the time. I make up pots of beans and then put them in pint jars and freeze for instant beans later. They thaw in the micro no problem.

Mary? Were the beans old? While beans don't go bad....they do dry out and can take a very long time to cook.
I really prefer beans cooked from dry as they don't have any "strange things" in them.
Try it again with a different kind of beans..
Linda C

Well it sat in the fridge all night till this afternoon and the beans are still sort of "toothy". The flavor is a little better but not exceptional to me. I used a recipe that used bacon, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and I added a green pepper, chicken stock, spices. I think I over did it on the spices but though its spicy I think I just don't like it which I don't understand since I added all stuff I usually like though I did add a tiny bit of coriander and I'm beginning to think I don't like that or cumin which I did not add.
Linda - the beans may be a little old, I don't know what old is. I have had them for....5, 6 months? Bought them in a big dept store that should have good turnover.
I agree with the knowing whats in things and thats why I tried to get away from canned.
I get the impression black beans may be harder than some but this is ridiculous.
Well see.

I have gotten "old" beans at the grocery store. It all depends on the clientele what there turnover is. Lots of people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds in my neighborhood so I can get good "fresh" dried beans of many types. But in some other towns and neighborhoods I have lived in, the beans were old. And that could be the culprit because what you describe is the way old beans cook up, kinda toothy.

In my experience black beans take longer than other beans, but yours should have been done after cooking that long. If you have a Mexican market in your city you might try buying some there that will be fresher. I have always salted from the beginning and never had tough beans in the end. I think this is just a personal preference. Try this next time: Put a bag of dried beans in your crockpot, cover with water by two inches, add a pod or two of crushed garlic and a little salt (or not!). Cook on low 24 hours and they will be perfectly done for use in any recipe.