I mostly use the pressure cooker. Only exception is when I've planned ahead and it is a very cold day and then I like the added heat from long simmering food.

Although you can pre-soak dried beans destined for the PC, it isn't necessary. Old dried pintos pressure cook in only about 20 minutes; fresh dried pintos cook in even time so soaking or heating & soaking don't really save any significant am't of time. Navy, Great Northern, Mayacoba, black and black-eyed peas require less cooking time than pintos. I think garbanzos require more time but I never cook those.

It isn't necessary to soak dry beans at all. The idea that it reduces gassiness isn't demonstrable, unless you soak long enough to sprout them, which is another story. You still should rinse and sort them, though rocks are rare nowadays in machine packaged beans (the machines are better at removing them). My favorite method is just to put them in the oven in a dutch oven for 45-60 min. at 350° F. I used to do them on the stove because I learned to cook beans when I didn't have an oven.

I usually cook pinto beans (WV born - it's a given). I wash and pick over them, then I cover them with water and bring them to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then drain them, rinse them, and return them to the pot, bring back to a boil with water to cover and then turn them down to a simmer. After about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I check to see if they are getting tender - if so I add seasonings, salt, smoked meat, whatever I decide on and simmer at least another hour. If I want thicker soup, I just remove the lid and let it cook down some. Sometimes I go all the way and add vegetables of all kinds to make it a vegetable-bean soup. I do Great Northerns the same way. But many times I just add salt and pepper and that's it.

Just put them in a pot, add water to cover by about an inch, lid on the pot and simmer until done. A pinch of baking soda to the pot will insure they cook well....if there is any acid present, as in lemon, catsup, tomatoes....the beans will never get soft.
Cook them until soft....taste them, different beans will cook in different amounts of time.

Pressure cooker beans, I put in only rinsed. And having been out to dinner with someone one time only where they were served a 'bean rock' and cracked a tooth, I do sort mine still, can't help myself.

The last two times I've cooked beans stove top in a regular simmered method, they have been flageoulets, and those I soaked overnight in the refrigerator before cooking. Very, very good. I don't know if the soaking, or if we've just come to like those better than pinto or northern - but I have some in the cupboard now and will likely soak again.

I soak mine overnight. Why? Because it cuts down on cooking time and it's stupid easy. According to America's Test Kitchen, adding salt to the soak will help beans to keep their skins, and maintain a good consistency. Sometimes I add the salt, sometimes not... just depends on the beans and what I'll do with them. Hummus for example... is going to be blended anyway.

I do also, as was mentioned above, sometimes sprout them by soaking the beans overnight, draining the water the next morning, then put a damp towel over the beans, and rinse them a few times during a day or 2. Whether they 'grow' a rootlet, or not, even soaking them overnight is sprouting and increases nutrition. This increase will continue for a few days to a week, depending on the bean. Most fresh beans though, reach their sprouted peak in 2-3 days.

Also, for 'old' beans, a very small amount of baking soda during cooking will help to soften them.

Elery likes to make his in the pressure cooker, I like to use the crock-pot. Neither of us ever soak beans and they come out fine. His way is much faster but my way lets me go wander away and not pay attention and come back to a pot of beans. I like to cut up an onion, a carrot and a stalk of celery, maybe add some minced garlic and a bayleaf. Salt and pepper and water to cover by an inch or so, I'm very happy if I have a smoked pork hock to go in there. Cook all day (low if I'm going to be gone 10 or 12 hours, high if it's more like 6 to 8) and come home to creamy delicious beans.

Annie

I'm the exception to the "normal" cooking methods when it comes to bean preparation because I sprout them first to remove the (ah hem) "noise", make them easier to digest, and to increase the nutrition. They also cook faster when they are sprouted first. I also dehydrate sprouted beans/lentils/peas which rehydrate and cook quickly, too. I keep buying pressure cookers thinking I'm missing out on something or an improved method of food preparation, and then giving them away. I just really don't like the high-heat process or the end product, but that's just me. Luckily there are all kinds of methods to choose from.

I often serve a small amount of beans with a small amount of meat (not a full 3-oz. serving of meat) in order stretch the high-costing meat and still serve a full serving of protein. I store, and use, a large variety of beans as part of our home food storage and we eat a LOT of beans/peas/legumes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I even made a recipe of (Refried) Bean Fudge at Christmas, and you can also use bean puree in baked goods as a fat substitute and increase the protein.

Here's a How To for Sprouting Beans: http://www.insonnetskitchen.com/how-to-sprout-cook-beans/

Another interesting method for preparation is a passive heat method (aka fireless cooking) by soaking and "cooking" in a Thermos in boiling hot water (for a small amount) - or a Thermal Cooker (for a large amount), and Wonder Oven or a Hay Box methods. I also cook beans in quart jars in one of my solar ovens (the jars are painted black on the outside with heat-resistant paint to absorb heat from the sun). Thermal Cooking is great during the hot months to keep the heat out of the kitchen: http://www.thermoscooking.com/

You can also brine beans, which aids in keeping them from shredding/exploding and keep the inside creamy and tender. Here's a video from America's Test Kitchen for a How To: http://lifehacker.com/5906564/brine-beans-for-the-best-possible-flavor-and-texture

Another great web site for bean info. is The Prudent Homemaker and her article "How to Eat Beans Every Night" - http://theprudenthomemaker.com/blog?view=entry&id=330

I also love the book, "Country Beans" by Rita Bingham. This link has some information and recipes from the book: http://realfoodliving.com/reviews/book-reviews/country-beans-by-rita-bingham

-Grainlady

I just cook them the traditional way, pick over, rinse, soak until plump, then bring to a boil & simmer until done. I crack 1 or 2 in half to check if they're completely reconstituted. If there's white in the center, they're not ready yet. Add more water as needed. Fresher dry beans soak & cook much faster than older ones IME.

I always add a couple of bay leaves for flavor, but never salt until after they're cooked, since I've had them stay really hard when I did that. I only pour off the soaking water from black beans & kidney beans, since that seems to make them more digestible. I pour the water on my plants, reasoning that it must contain nutrients along w/ all that color.

Exceptions are lentils & black eyed peas, they don't need any soaking IMPE.

For me, it depends. If I need a small quantity (say equal to 1 or 2 cans), then I often just use the pressure cooker, especially if I have decided at the last minute I want them. If I plan ahead, I will cook them in the slow cooker. I prefer the slow cooker so that I can do a whole bunch at once and then freeze what is not used at that time. I may play with sprouting them sometime but that will require planning ahead, which does not always happen around here.