I love beans of any type and I've been using canned beans! I have a variety of recipes that honor black beans, lentils, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, cannellini beans, kidney beans, chickpeas - you name it: Vegetable Lentil Soup, Gumbo, Tortillas with Black Beans and Avocado, Shrimp Creole, every type of chili, Vegetable Minestrone to name a few. But Caroline Lange of Bon Appetit tells us that cooking a pot from dried beans is a totally sensory, highly rewarding activity that's worth devoting a couple hours.
Here are her tips that will guarantee success:
Make sure your beans are (relatively) fresh.
Even dried beans can get too old to cook. The magic number for bean freshness is about two years from being milled and packaged. Of course, there’s no surefire way of knowing exactly when your beans were packaged (unless the packaging has a date) but if you buy from a place that sees a good turnover (like the bulk bins of a busy grocery store), they’re probably okay.
Pour the amount of beans you want to cook into a colander and examine them for little stones or other unwelcome additions. Rinse, transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, and proceed.
You’ll probably want to soak.
Soaking beans helps to ensure tenderness and reduce the cook time. Caroline Lange recommends soaking beans all day or overnight (aiming for 8-12 hours), covered, in cool water that covers them by 2 to 3 inches. If the kitchen is very warm, room temperature is fine. Otherwise, it’s a good idea to soak in the fridge.
This soaking step is not 100% necessary. Beans that are on the smaller side only take two or so hours to cook from dry. If you’re less sure about your beans’ age, try soaking at least a couple of times. There's also the "quick soak" method: Cover beans with 2 to 3 inches of cool water, bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour.)
After soaking, the beans should be BIG—they’ll have absorbed much of the water. If they don’t change in size, or are visibly wrinkly or shriveled, your beans are probably too old. If it seems like just a few of the beans are wrinkled, pick them out and proceed. If it’s the whole pot, start over with fresh beans using the long, slow cook and add a pinch of baking soda. The baking soda increases the pH of the liquid which makes the beans more tender.
A final, perhaps controversial note: Don’t toss your soaking liquid. Though some say tossing the soaking liquid and replacing it with fresh water can make the beans easier to digest (that is, limit flatulence), that soaking water holds your beans’ flavor as well as some of their nutrients—not to mention color, especially in the case of black beans. Cook your beans right in it.
Embrace salt and fat.
Caroline Lange believes that salting from the start is the only way to get properly seasoned beans. In general, a good rule of thumb is one tablespoon of salt per pound of beans. If you’re soaking, add it then; if you’re not soaking, add it whenever you’re ready to cook.
You’ll also want a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup oil per pound of beans), which flavors the beans and the broth as they cook.
That’s really all you need for a delicious pot of plain but well-seasoned, versatile beans. Top off soaking liquid with enough cool tap water to keep the beans covered by 2 to 3 inches, then add the oil and the salt right to the pot.
Bring the flavor.
If you're going for a one-pot special here rather than beans as a component of another recipe, there are many options for additions. There’s no real need to measure, but as with most things, it’s better to go light at first and add more later on.
Smashed garlic cloves and/or halved peeled onions (or shallots or scallions), plain or lightly charred first in the olive oil
Spices and herbs: fennel, coriander, or cumin seeds; cinnamon sticks; bay leaves; smoked paprika; dried or fresh oregano; fresh parsley, rosemary, sage, or thyme
Chiles: whole dried chiles (like chipotle, morita, or guajillo); ground chile powder; crushed red pepper flakes; a couple of canned chipotles en adobo sauce
Aromatics: carrots, celery, fennel—leave them whole if you want to fish them out once the beans are tender, or finely chop and sauté them until tender in the olive oil before adding the dried beans.
Even more: bacon or pancetta (dice, then cook until halfway crisp in the olive oil before adding dried beans); bones (smoked or otherwise); parmesan rinds; miso; kombu; instant dashi
For acidic ingredients like canned or fresh tomatoes, wine, lemon juice, wait to add them after the beans are tender. Acid will make your beans tough if added in the beginning.
Cook low and slow.
To cook on the stove, bring the pot of beans (soaked or unsoaked, with olive oil, salt, and any seasonings plus 2 to 3 inches of liquid covering them) to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat so that your beans are barely but steadily simmering and cover with the lid. The gentler the cooking, the better your beans will hold their shape and not burst out of their skins.
If you want to be really hands-off, bring the beans to a boil on the stovetop, then cover and transfer to a 275°F oven.
Whatever way you cook them, you’ll want to check in every half-hour or so, topping off the liquid as necessary so that the beans remain submerged. Stir very gently and very occasionally.
Taste, then taste again, then taste again.
To know when they’re done, you’ll have to watch and taste. Don’t stop at one bean: At least three in a row should be totally tender. Be sure to give them the time they need. You can’t rush beans! Count on a couple of hours.
This is a good time to adjust the seasoning: Taste the beans and the broth, and add more salt if you like. (Too salty? Thin the bean broth with a bit of water.) Once the beans are tender, feel free to jazz them up with acid.
Don’t toss the bean broth.
When you've got the beans where you want 'em, fish out any whole aromatics, then cool and store your beans right in their liquid for the best flavor and texture (beans handled too much before they’re cool are prone to breaking or getting mushy). Leave them in the pot to cool, then divide the beans between containers and add bean broth to cover. One pound of dried beans yields about 6 cups of cooked beans, plus broth.
Any leftover bean broth should go in additional containers. Bean broth is nearly as delicious as the beans. Use it to cook rice or potatoes or wherever you’d use vegetable or chicken stock.
Beans and their broth will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
And the beans?
Soften chopped greens (like spinach, kale, or collards) right in the pot with them.
Add them to soup or pasta.
Purée into a dip or spread (hummus in only one of the options).
Refry them and smear onto tostadas or into burritos.
Fold them into tomato sauce, top with feta or shredded mozzarella, and bake in a skillet until bubbly.
Drain the beans, pat dry with a paper towel, toss with olive oil and salt (and any other spices you like, like paprika or turmeric), then roast at 450°F until crispy and golden for a warm, savory snack or salad-topper.
The options are endless.