Cooking Dry Beans
Updated 3-11-08
I cook dry beans three different ways. The method I choose depends on how well I’ve planned ahead.
Generally, 1 cup of dry beans will yield 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups of cooked beans. So you will want to start with the amount of dry beans that will yield the cooked amount you desire. For instance, if I want 10 cups of cooked beans, I will start with about 4 cups dry.
These are some common dry bean yields:
- 1 cup dry black beans —–> yields 3-1/2 cups when cooked
- 1 cup dry kidney beans —–> yields 3 cups when cooked
- 1 cup dry pinto beans —–> yields 3 cups when cooked
- 1 cup dry navy beans —–> yields 2-1/2 cups when cooked
- 1 cup dry Great Northern beans —–> yields 3 cups when cooked
Choose your pot or stockpot carefully. It needs to be big enough so that the dry beans do not fill it more than 1/3. Otherwise, you will not be able to fit the amount of water required to cook them thoroughly.
I usually cook a big pot of beans. I use some of the beans in the meal for that day. I keep about 2 to 4 cups in the refrigerator in a quart-size freezer bag, which I add to our salads over the next few days. The remainder of the beans, I put in quart-size freezer bags in 4-cup portions for later use.
The best beans to use are organic beans from a health food store/source with good turnover. Good organic beans taste one hundred times better than old beans from the regular grocery store where people rarely buy them. Those beans could have been sitting there for years — you can tell because many of the bags of beans are coated with dust. So, buy some good beans — it is definitely worth it.
Scroll through to read all the methods, or skip ahead to the section you prefer:
- Method 1 — Overnight Soaking/Slow Cook the Next Day
- Method 2 — Slow Cook All Night or All Day
- Method 3 — Quick Soak and Cook In One Day
- Seasoning the Beans
- Additional Notes
Method 1 — Overnight Soaking/Slow Cook the Next Day
The night before you need cooked beans, put desired amount of dry beans in the crockpot and fill with filtered water that comes up two to three times as high as the dry beans. Soak overnight, 8 to 10 hours.
In the morning, rinse the beans thoroughly and fill the crock with fresh filtered water that covers the beans by 3 to 4 inches. Cover and cook on low all day, about 6 to 8 hours*, or until tender. Add more water if necessary.
*Some older slow cookers take longer to cook beans, while the newer slow cookers will cook up more quickly.
In this method, the cooking water may be used in the meal or discarded. Drain the beans and use in your meal or freeze for later use.
Method 2 — Slow Cook All Night or All Day
Either the night before or the morning of the evening that you will need cooked beans, put the desired amount of dry beans in the crockpot. Note: if you are doing this in the morning, you will have to start the beans really early, as they require 8 to 10 hours* of cooking time in the crockpot. Fill with filtered water that comes up two to three times as high as the dry beans. Cover and cook on low all night or all day, about 8 to 10 hours*, or until tender.
*Some older slow cookers take 8 to 10 hours to cook beans, while the newer slow cookers will cook up more quickly.
In this method, the bean cooking water should be discarded. Drain the beans and use in your meal or freeze for later use. This method is easier than Method 1, but the drawback is that you will not be able to use the cooking water in your meal.
Method 3 — Quick Soak and Cook In One Day
Put desired amount of dry beans in a large stockpot. Cover with filtered water that comes up two or three times as high as the dry beans.
Over high heat, bring the water and dry beans to a hard boil on the stove. Let it boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the stove. Cover the pot. Move the pot to a back burner and let it sit undisturbed for about 3 hours.
Drain beans and discard this quick soaking water. Fill the pot with fresh filtered water that covers the beans by 3 or 4 inches. Put the pot back on the burner and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the beans simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until tender. Add water if necessary.
In this method, the cooking water may be used in the meal or discarded. Drain the beans and use in your meal or freeze for later use.
1) Add flavor ingredients — such as spices; seasonings; turkey, chicken or ham bones; and/or broths — during the cooking, not the soaking. I do this if I’m adding soaked (but not cooked yet) beans to a soup; they cook right in the yummy flavors. However, adding acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, vinegar, or citrus (lemon/lime) during cooking will slow down the bean cooking. These ingredients should be added after the beans are already soft.
2) Add seasonings after the cooking. I do this if I’m taking cooked beans and adding them to a dish, such as beans & rice, or refried beans, even soup.
Just think of all the other seasonings you can use — herbs like basil, thyme, oregano; spices like cumin, paprika, cayenne; salt, pepper and oil; foods like onion, ginger or garlic. Add any of these either during the cooking or after the cooking when incorporating the beans into a dish.
Normally, there may be some bubbles and maybe a little scum on the top of the soaking water — rinse this all away. The beans should smell “beany”. If they smell rotten, rinse them really well, and then smell them again. If they still smell rotten, they probably are. Unfortunately, you’ll have to toss these beans and start again.
For old beans that don’t seem to want to soften up, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or a piece of kombu (Japanese sea vegetable) to the cooking water to help them along. Either of these will help reduce the gas-producing properties of beans. Also, since uncooked starches cause gas, the most important way to prevent gassiness is to cook the beans until they are completely soft.
© Copyright 2006-2008 by Wardeh Harmon
We frequently cook dry black beans - we love black beans seasoned in a south american style over rice. There is no comparison between beans done well from their dry form to canned beans IMHO.
Peace
Ellen, that sounds yummy. What seasonings do you use for South American style? I agree with you about beans being tastier when cooked from dry instead of canned. Plus, they’re much more healthy.
Thank you for posting this! I needed to know this because I am cooking beans more often now and didn’t know all of the ways to cook them.
My favorite way to cook them is in the crockpot. We are not big bean eatters and we really should change that. Thanks for the info., Wardeh.
I’m cooking dry beans for the very first time today. I soaked them over night and rinsed them this morning. Are they supossed to smell funny? I chose navy beans. Now that they are soaked is it o.k. to cook them in a pot on the stove or should they be put in the crock pot? You mentioned you can cook them in the pot for the quick soak and cook method but mine are already soaked. Thanks for the info, I was so pleased to find this website!
Hi, Megan.
I’m not sure what you mean by funny smelling? Normally, there may be some bubbles and maybe a little scum on the top of the soaking water — rinse this all away. They should smell “beany”. If they smell rotten, rinse them really well, and then smell them again. If they still smell rotten, they probably are.
If the beans are okay, you can go ahead and follow the cooking directions in Method 3 — Quick Soak and Cook.
Hope this helps!
Love, Wardeh
After or during boiling, sometimes the bean water becomes milky. i understand that the surface material is called scum. But what is the milky appearing material called
Hi,Diane. While I’m not sure exactly what you mean, I’m thinking that the milky water is the starch from the beans thickening up the water. I fear I’m not really a help to you in this question, but I do appreciate you asking it!
Love, Wardeh
This is simply AWESOME!
I’ve been looking to expand my cooking skills and decided to work with black beans. I immediately went out and bought a couple 2 cup bags, but had NO idea as to how to cook them!
After searching the internet for the last three days, this solves my dilemma :). I’ll be boiling black beans, rice, and baking some boneless/skinless chicken breasts to complete the dish.
Thanks again!
I haven’t cooked dry beans for some time. I think I will use method 3. The only difference I have a hambone from Christmas so I am going to soak northern beans tonight and put it on to cook tomorrow afternoon for about 3 hours or until tender. Thanks for your information. It refreshed my memory.
Deejay and Bernadette,
Please let me know it works for you. Both your menus sound delicious!
Wardeh,
It was DELICIOUS! I barely had to season them afterwards :).
I ended up baking a boneless/skinless chicken breast and seasoning it with a bit of garlic powder & garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper.
The rice was very simple, just boiled with a dab of margarine. When the dish was complete, I just sprinkled a bit of pepper over the beans & rice (not sure how to season them southern style yet), and it was very good :).
Thanks again for the methods, and if i make anything new, i’ll let you know!
Deejay, that is great! I’m so happy the method worked for you. Isn’t amazing how simple foods can taste sooo good? Your whole meal sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Hello,
I plan on cooking beans tomorrow using Method 1 however I want to add either turkey necks bones or turkey wings to the pot. Being that I am going to be using my crock pot do I have to add any extra water or use less beans or anything.
Raquel,
I will assume that tonight you are going to soak the beans as desribed in Method 1, without turkey.
Then tomorrow, drain and rinse your beans. Put them back in your crock, fill it up with plenty of water (3 to 4 inches over the top of the beans). Then add your turkey parts. This way you’ll be sure to have plenty of water for the beans. The turkey parts will absorb minimal water.
How many turkey parts will you use? If just a couple, I wouldn’t adjust the amount of beans. If a substantial amount, it would be a good idea to use less beans, so that during cooking there is enough room for all ingredients.
Hope this helps!
Love, Wardeh
Thanks that does help.
I am soaking ( yes without the turkey:-)) as I type and then tomorrow morning i will rinse and cook with the turkey. There is about 4 pieces of turkey but I soaked a whole bag ( 1lb) of beans. Is that too much?
Raquel, I don’t think that’s too much, as long as your pot is big enough. The flavor should be wonderful! I hope you’ll let me know how it goes!
Love, Wardeh
Help! I soaked my black beans overnight, poured off the soaking water and put in fresh water to cook today, but after 5 hours, they still aren’t softened up like usual. I had put a can of diced tomatoes in, but no salt. I checked the “expiry date” and it’s not til later this year. Is there any other reason they’re not softening up after hours of cooking? Should I be wary to eat them because they’ll cause too much gas?
Nikki,
How are you cooking the beans?
If in a slow cooker on low, 5 hours isn’t too long. You could go for 8 hours or so. Some older slow cookers take 8 to 10 hours to cook beans, while the newer slow cookers will cook up more quickly. So, this answer also depends on what your slow cooker is like.
If on the stove top at a simmer, they should be soft by now. If they aren’t soft, then I would say you’ve got some old beans (no matter what the expiration date says). Some beans are so old and dried up that they won’t soften up when cooked. This happened to me once. It is disappointing, but not normal. Unfortunately, this happens quite often with packaged beans from a regular grocery store or from a bulk section that doesn’t get much turnover.
If they aren’t done, I wouldn’t recommend eating them. You will get gas.
No good!
Please let me know if you need any more help. I’m sorry your beans aren’t turning out.
Love, Wardeh
Hello,
Adding acid (tomatoes, vinegar, lemon/lime) to beans stops the beans from cooking. These “acid” ingredients need to wait and be added after the beans are “done”. Once the beans are soft you can add the tomatoes.
Hope this helps,
Victoria
Thank you for chiming in, Victoria. I did not think of that. However, I do add tomatoes with success during the bean cooking time. Depending on the beans though, this may have have caused the beans not to soften.
Love, Wardeh
I’m wondering how many dried beans to cook to replace a 15 oz can of beans. I’m thinking the goal is to make about 2 cups of cooked beans but I’m brain-dead when it comes to what ounces are.
Well…
You’re going to test my math here.
Let’s say that the beans will increase by 3 when cooked. This is average; some beans, such as navy beans, only increase by 2-1/2 times.
15 ounces is about 2 cups (8 ounces per cup).
So you’ll need to start with 1/3 of 2 cups, or 2/3 cup of dry beans. I would use 1 cup just to be safe.
Then use 2 cups of the cooked beans in your dish.
Hope this helps.
Love, Wardeh
Hello there I need some help with determining how much beans to cook to feed 200 people it is for a buck and doe we are having if you could help it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, Sharon. That’s a really good question. How many beans do you expect each person to eat? I’ll assume about 1 cup. That means you’d have to cook enough beans to result in 200 cups of cooked beans. On average, beans triple their volume when cooked. So you’d have to start with 1/3 of 200 cups… or 67 cups (rounded). If you want each person to have 2 cups of beans, then double 67… 134 cups. A big 25 pound bag of beans probably has about 50 cups of dry beans in it. You’ll need some really big roaster ovens to accommodate all those beans. Hope this helps and have fun! Love, Wardeh
I cannot find any dried cannellini beans at our local stores. If I substitute canned cannellinis (which I can find) how many cans do I need to use in a recipe that calls for 8 oz of dried beans? Thanks.
Julia, I have a bean cooking chart that lists cannellini beans as a type of kidney bean. So you could probably substitute kidney beans without changing the flavor too much. If you go ahead and buy canned cannellini beans, their volume is triple that of dried cannellini beans. So you’ll want 24 ounces of canned beans. I think most cans are about 16 ounces? You’d need two cans, but you wouldn’t use all of them. Hope this helps! Love, Wardeh
I did kidney beans in the slow cooker today at work for chilli. They turned out great. Thanks Sadie
I’m glad they worked out for you, Sadie! Love, Wardeh
I was wondering, when you say “Move the pot to a back burner”, do you mean it should be on a low flame, or no flame at all?
I mean to take it off the heat entirely — no flame. Thanks for asking this. I hadn’t realized that this wasn’t clear. ~Wardeh
I have red peans and pinto beans that are 15 yrs. old. Any tips for getting them to soften/ and/or cooking with them?
thanks!
Have you already tried cooking them? It is possible that cooking them longer will do the trick. You could also add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the water to help them soften up during cooking. If they don’t soften up by either of these two things, then I don’t believe there’s anything else to try. ~Wardeh
I am having a consistent problem getting my beans to cook. I’ve tried both quick soaking and overnight soaking but no matter what I do, or how long I simmer them on the stove I they never soften. I’ve tried cooking black and pinto beans.
I can make food so yummy it will bring tears to your eyes, but I can’t cook a bean!! Am I just cursed?
No, you’re not cursed! I would venture to guess that you’ve got old beans. Have you tried beans from different sources? The beans sitting in the bags in the regular grocery store are typically not that great of quality. What you want to find are beans, organic beans, from a health food store or a bulk section. Make sure they get alot of turnaround, which will assure you that they are fresh dried beans.
Anytime I’ve been out of a natural, fresh, good quality food item (a grain, molasses, beans, whatever) and I bought a little bit to “get me by” in the regular grocery store section (not bulk and not natural food section), I am always disappointed with flavor, texture, quality, richness. There is a difference.
If you’ve got good quality beans, it is possible that they’re old. Many health food stores are not highly trafficked enough to ensure that the food hasn’t been sitting there for ages waiting to be purchased.
You also might try adding 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the cooking water. If they don’t respond to this, the beans are cursed, not you.
Please don’t give up. If you’re that good a cook, you’ll be able to cook good beans. I know it.
Love, Wardeh
I’m new to your blog and can’t believe how timely this is for me! Our budget has taken a turn and I just bought a variety of nice beans and lentils and chick peas to see if I could economize by cooking from scratch and here I find this great blog entry! I have really enjoyed all the discussion and the idea of using a slow cooker, which I never thought of. What a great and useful article and thank you very much. I too am blessed with many treasures in my family and friends and the bounty of nature. Thanks again.
Hello! I’m glad you found this helpful. Please do let me know if you have any trouble or need any help at all. ~Wardeh
So, for old dried beans, add 1/2 tsp. baking soda during cooking or during soaking?
You said to add to aid cooking . . .
Thanks
Barbara, add it during the cooking time. If they don’t soften up, they may be beyond help. Hope you get good results! ~Wardeh
Thanks for the quick reply — I tried adding plain old meat tenderizer (bromelain) yesterday, and am continuing to cook in a slow cooker — they’re coming around, but this is the second day
of cooking . . . .
Barbarba, how are they?
Hi, I have tried cooking dried beans 3 times now. Two times I tried the ‘quick soak’ and simmer method and last night I tried in the slow cooker, black beans both times. With the quick soak method the beans turned out still hard. Last night in the slow cooker nearly all of my beans split open and I ended up with black bean goo this morning. Please help me! I am an excellent cook otherwise and love black beans!
Kate, I am sorry about the troubles you’re having with the beans. Here are a few things I would suggest you try.
1) If using the quick soak method, allow a longer simmering time for the actual cooking of the beans. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Make sure there’s no salt in the cooking water. Salt, like acid, can slow down the cooking.
2) When using the crockpot, use it during the day so you can monitor when the beans are done. Most newer crockpots cook “hotter” than the old ones. If you’re using a new crock, overcooking can easily happen overnight. So a switch to daytime cooking, with monitoring, or switching to an older crockpot should help.
3) Use the traditional soaking method (Method 1). Soak them good and long overnight, drain, rinse, add fresh water and simmer until done. Again, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the cooking water, and no salt.
Since they got overdone in the crockpot, I am assuming that these are not hard beans beyond redemption. Please let me know how it turns out for you. Love, Wardeh
Great Blog, only thing is I never cooked a bean, and now that I am in Costa Rica (formerly from the states) I have to cook them myself as they don’t have Bush beans here, imagine that
, how do you season the beans and when do you season them? Is it best to put whole garlic at the start of the cooking process, I dont see anything posted here in regards to the seasoning of beans, I know some people put chilandra in their beans here in Costa Rica along with onions etc, but I cant use onions as I am allergic to them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
Hi, Tom. It’s great to have you writing in from Costa Rica. There are two ways to season the beans.
1) Add seasonings during the cooking, not the soaking. I do this if I’m adding soaked (but not cooked yet) beans to a soup; they cook up in the soup flavors — spices, seasonings and broth. Some people say not to add salt during the cooking and some say you can. If you have really hard beans (the kind that don’t get soft), adding salt could be a hindrance.
2) Add seasonings after the cooking. I do this if I’m taking cooked beans and adding them to a dish, such as beans & rice, or refried beans, even soup.
You need to avoid onions, but just think of all the other seasonings you can use — herbs like basil, thyme, oregano; spices like cumin, paprika, cayenne; salt, pepper and oil; food like ginger or garlic. Add any of these either during the cooking or after the cooking when incorporating the beans into a dish.
I hope this helps. Thanks for writing! ~Wardeh
To the person that recommended baking soda to soften up beans that stay hard after an eternity of cooking; BINGO! It worked in about 20 minutes.
That’s great! I love to hear good reports. Love, Wardeh
I have had great success with cooking beans by soaking overnight, but whenever I have tried to use the fast cook method they stay hard. I use cumin and other spices in my beans.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Diana! When do you add the cumin and other spices? ~Wardeh
I would like to encourage everyone to be very careful of the soak all night method. Beans just love to ferment. I have never, ever been successful with this method. Some folks noses just don’t seem to pick this up for some reason, or their palates for that matter. I have had the same problem with the Slow Cooker method as well when cooking on the low setting. However, I have never had a problem with the boil, cool, cook method. For those that are interested, Kuhn Rikon has a wonderful article on dried bean preparation. It can be found here: http://www.kuhnrikon.com/products/pressure_cookers/tip.php3?id=1
Take care all, and thanks for sharing Wardeh!
Kathy, that is very interesting. I read the article you linked and got the gist that overnight soaking is preferable, but one shouldn’t soak more than 8 or 10 hours. Is that what you feel? Or have you not had success even when following that time limit? The Kuhn Rikon article seems to suggest that an overnight soak allows for the most uniform absorption of water into the bean, which may not happen using the boil method. I think I can concur with this, as when I do the quick soak, the beans are somewhat wrinkly instead of evenly full.
I can’t say I’ve ever soaked beans longer than 8 or 10 hours. I put them in before bed and I get up early and change to the next stage.
Regarding soaking, I would say that I am still in favor of it. I have two reasons. One is that it works for me. The other is that it strikes me as a natural way to prepare beans. When dried beans are put in the soil for planting, they sprout after “soaking” in the water in the soil. While the conditions are somewhat different, in that they’re not completely immersed when in soil, this process strikes me as the most natural one.
In any case, I thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts. I appreciate hearing that one can soak too long. It certainly makes sense to me not to soak too long, for the reason you gave — fermentation. And I would add that if one isn’t careful, fermentation can happen using the quick soak method — that is, if one lets the beans sit too long after the first boil. The warm water would be ideal for bacteria to grow.
Love, Wardeh
Wardeh, I couldn’t agree with you more regarding your philosophical beliefs about the naturalness of slow soaking. I am partial to slow whenever appropriate when it comes to food. I believe (my philosophy) that the addition of time allows for a great many intangible benefits. I only chose to post my experiences with fermentation because of post #5 from Megan. I am very aware that a huge number of folks slow soak with great success. I have been told by more than one person that I am most likely a “super taster”. So perhaps I am tasting things that others would not necessarily taste, and as a result agree with me on. I LOVE dried beans. In fact, I made Giant Lima Beans for this evenings dinner. And they were yummy! I guess that what it all comes down to is my desire to share the fact that if one’s beans didn’t taste as good as one had hoped for, not to conclude that dried beans don’t taste good. Dried beans easily ferment, and depending on a persons taste sensitivity, the time required to be noticed might be less for one person than another. I offered the link because I felt that it has some great information and might offer additional benefits and insights to the people looking to expand their experiences with dried beans. Take care Wardeh! Kind regards, K
Kathy, thank you for explaining more. You must have some fabulous taste buds! I think I understand you now. What you said is key, and I agree:
I guess that what it all comes down to is my desire to share the fact that if one’s beans didn’t taste as good as one had hoped for, not to conclude that dried beans don’t taste good. Dried beans easily ferment, and depending on a persons taste sensitivity, the time required to be noticed might be less for one person than another.
From now on out, I will try to cultivate my own “super tasting” and see if I can detect any degree of fermentation. I appreciate your voice of experience. Thanks, Kathy! I’m so glad for your contributions to this discussion. God bless you! Love, Wardeh
You are most welcome Wardeh. And my thanks to you as well for being of value to others. May we all become what we need to become so that God can bless us all! Love to you as well, K
HELP! I made pasta e fagioli today for the first time. It smells wonderful. It tastes great too! It’s just the texture of the canellini beans… They are soft & tender, but the outsides are tough & falling off the bean. Looks like little plastic sleeves floating on top of my soup. What did I do wrong?
(I soaked them overnight, then put them in fresh cold water, brought them to a boil & simmered them for about 1 1/2 hrs. They still didn’t seem totally soft, so I brought the temperature up a bit b/c I needed to add them to the soup.)
I can’t see anything that you did wrong, Jen. Bean skins do come off, but normally they just peel back a bit off the bean rather than come off completely. I wonder if it was just those beans because you did everything right. I hope you’ll try again, perhaps a different brand or different crop will behave better. Sorry I can’t be more help. Love, Wardeh
I just wanted to thank you for all the wonderful information on cooking beans. I am a stay at home mom and like to cook from scratch for my family. I have never made beans before, but with all this help I don’t think I can go too wrong!! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! I know in no time you’ll be cooking beans like a pro! Love, Wardeh
[...] then I could this link: Cooking Dry Beans. The author offers three easy methods for cooking beans from dry. My favourite is to soak them [...]
How do you make refried beans from scratch. I’ve tried different ways but they never turn out creamy like the kind you get at mexican restaurants. Help.
Dawn, have you tried my recipe for Refried Beans? Give it a try, but you might consider blending the beans and water in a blender or food processor a little — so they’ll be less chunky and more creamy. Also, increase how much oil you use. Hope this helps! Love, Wardeh
A past employer once told me that she and her husband ate dry beans quite often (for his dietary needs) but, of course, did not like the by-product of eating so many beans. She stressed that soaking them was necessary, but she found that adding something to the soaking water aided in removing the “gas” from them better than just the soaking only provided. It seems to me like it was baking soda? Any ideas on what it might be?
Kim, yes, people say that baking soda will help with reducing flatulence. But also, I have heard of cooking the beans with kombu, a Japanese sea vegetable. But, like you said, just soaking them will help tremendously, and also make sure the beans are thoroughly cooked — uncooked starch causes gas, too. Love, Wardeh
Read your thoughts on how many cups need for 200 people. Am cooking pinto beans for 200 plus and adding pork skins for flavor. Adding cilantro and tomatoe and onions after they are cooked. I can not determine how many pounds/cups I can cook in a 20 qts. roaster oven. Many years ago …, I used a roaster oven but my mind fails me as to how many pounds I cooked in it. Thanks for any help you can offer. Need to know by the 23rd of April.
Hi, Irene! Here’s my thinking… (please view it critically as I hope I’m not overlooking anything!)
20 quarts is 80 cups.
Beans generally triple in volume when cooked, so 1/3 of 80 cups is 26-2/3 cups.
If you cook 26-2/3 cups of beans, you would use the entire capacity of the 20-quart roaster.
Before proceeding, I would recommend you put the 26 cups of beans in the roaster (dry, no water yet) and make sure you still have 2/3 of the pot free for water. If not, reduce the amount of beans accordingly. Cut back a little more to make sure there is plenty of space for the water to bubble and froth, and for your additional ingredients (which sound yummy!).
The last concern is… will that make enough beans for 200+ people? Let’s say you end up cooking 20 cups of dry beans. That will yield approximately 60 cups of cooked beans (that is for pintos, which yield 3 times their volume). With this amount of beans, 200 people would each get 1/3 cup. At this point, you’ll have to judge whether to acquire another roaster to cook more.
I hope this was helpful! (I also hope I didn’t make any mistakes.)
Love, Wardeh
my husband is from Mexico and they tend to add a fresh herb called espazote while cooking to help aid in removing the ‘gas-inducing’ properties of the beans.. You could try finding it in a local hispanic grocery or even in a big supermarket if you have a large hispanic population in your area..
Jamie, thank you for sharing your husban’ds cultural tradition! Sadly, we don’t have a large Hispanic population in this area. However, I believe there is a section of Hispanic spices at the grocery store. So I will look for espazote and give it a try. What other uses are there for espazote? Love, Wardeh
I usually find it fresh and that is how we put it with the beans. I don’t know if it is sold dried or not, as I have never seen it sold in that way. I just looked it up and it seems some people have found it air-dried. Maybe since we can get it fresh they don’t bother selling it any other way. The main way I have seen it used is in beans and I think I also recall my mother-in-law using it in tamales as well. I believe you can also put it in soups, stews and with fish dishes. Pretty versatile actually.
Jaime, (I’m sorry for misspelling your name last time) I can look for it with the herbs, I guess. I’ll look for dried also. If I can’t find it, I will just plan on growing some when I have my herb garden.
Thanks so much for the great suggestion!
Love, Wardeh
[...] herefor a tutorial on soaking and cooking beans from scratch…it’s so easy to soak and cook [...]
I was wondering why to avoid onions with the pinto beans? I really love onions and they go so good with potatoes and other things. Is there any reason why to avoid cooking them while cooking the beans? I’m really really curious about it!
Anthony, I discussed leaving out onions with Tom because he is allergic to them. Then with Irene, she mentioned adding them at the end. That was her stated intention and I’m not sure what her reasons were for this.
In my opinion, there is no reason you can’t add onions during the cooking stage (not the fast soak, overnight soak, or cooking all night in the crockpot), but consider what onions do after an hour and a half of cooking. They are likely to be mush. That’s great if you want just the flavor. Also, onions (at least the yellow) get really, really sweet when cooked for long periods of time and can impart a strong sweet flavor. I’m not sure this would happen in just an hour and a half, but it definitely happens in the crockpot all day.
So, it is up to you! There’s no reason I can think of why one should avoid onions.
~Wardeh
Thanks for the helpful hints on the onions! I was wondering why my homemade baked bean recipe came out tasting more like candy even when I skimped a lot on the brown sugar & molasses… I must have been all the onions that cooked for so long (it had a lot in there). It all makes sense to me now.
my friend here insists that you should bring beans to a boil and strain off that water and begin again, she says shes done this up to 5 rounds of changing out the water. i say she looses nutrition when she does this and she replies but undigestible nutrition doesn’t do you any good anyway. i soak, rinse and cook. any comments….? thanks
Hi! Well, you have a very thorough friend of a cook! I don’t see anything wrong with what she is doing. Probably all that is rinsing away are the indigestibles, maybe a little more, but I couldn’t say for sure. I don’t think it is necessary to go to all that trouble, as the methods I use take care of indigestibles for me and my family and most other people. For someone who is extremely sensitive to beans and their gas-causing properties, perhaps her method would do the trick!
Love, Wardeh