July 2016 Emergency Preparedness - Basic Recipes using Beans

About Beans

1 cup dry beans = 2 1/2 cups cooked

Beans belong to the group of food called “legumes” which includes peas, lentils, and peanuts.  Next to cereal grains, it is the legume family that contributes most substantially toward feeding the people of the world.  The high protein content of beans is an absolute necessity in countries where little meat is eaten.  Beans are also high in complex carbohydrates and important vitamins and minerals like folate, calcium, iron and potassium.

A half-cup serving of dry beans counts as a one-ounce serving of lean meat in the “meat and beans group” of the USDA food pyramid and a full serving of vegetables in the “vegetable group”.  Combining beans with wheat, corn, rice or milk will create a complete protein equal to meat; digestibility is also improved.  Eating beans often and/or sprouted can decrease gassy side-effects, as will soaking.

Cooked beans can be stored safely at least five days refrigerated, or up to one year frozen, without quality loss.  Uncooked dry beans keep indefinitely if stored in a tightly sealed container, in a cool dark dry area.  Nutrients are not lost with age, although the beans will lose moisture and need longer soaking and/or cooking times.

Tips for Cooking and Using Beans

Soaking is not a necessary step in bean preparation.  However, unsoaked beans take longer to cook and require more attention so they won’t boil dry.  A longer soaking time is recommended to help beans be digested more easily.  Beans soaked longer than 12 hours can absorb too much water and lose some flavor and texture.  Whether beans soak for an hour or several, discard the soaking water, rinse beans and pan. As your digestive system becomes used to beans you will need less or no soaking time.  Soaking water will not need to be discarded either.  Beans cook best when simmered.  Hard boiling and vigorous stirring cause beans to break.  If additional water is needed while cooking, add hot water.  To test for doneness pinch or bite a few for tenderness.  Wait until close to end of cooking time to add tomatoes, lemon juice, or vinegar as these acids toughen beans.  In hard water or high altitude areas increase the soaking and/or cooking times.  Beans can be cracked or ground into flour for faster cooking.

Beans can be used to enrich soups and thicken gravies.  Bean puree can be used as a base for dips and spreads and as a fat replacement in baking when cooked and mashed to the consistency of shortening.  (Start by replacing no more than half the fat with an equal amount of pureed beans.)

Methods for Soaking Beans

Sort and rinse beans, discarding broken or shriveled beans and any foreign matter.  In a large pot add 6 to 7 cups water, 1 rounded teaspoon salt (salt helps beans absorb water more evenly) and 2 cups of dry beans.  After soaking choose a method to cook beans.

Hot-soak: This works best for hard, old, dry beans.  Do not use this for sprouting beans.  Bring beans, salt, and water for soaking to a boil.  Turn off heat.  Cover and let stand at least 1 hour, but preferably 4 hours; maximum 12 hours.

Quick-soak: Prepare like hot-soak; soak only 1 hour.

Long-soak: Cover beans with cool, salted water.  Soak 8 to 10 hours or overnight. Be sure to soak beans at room temperature.  Hot water may cause beans to sour.  Cold water slows hydration and beans will take longer to cook.

Methods for Cooking Beans

A bean is fully cooked when it can be easily mashed with a fork.  Adding a little oil to beans when cooking helps prevent foaming.

Stock Pot: Cover soaked beans with water.  Add salt (depending on saltiness of other recipe ingredients).  Heat all ingredients to boiling.  Reduce Heat, cover and simmer gently 30 to 45 minutes.  If additional water is needed while cooking, add very hot tap water.

Crockpot: Fill pot half full with soaked beans.  Add water to 2” above beans: add salt.  Cover and cook on low about 6 to 8 hours.

Pressure Cooker: Pressure cooking shortens cooking time.  Soaked Pinto beans will cook in about 10 minutes depending on the age of the beans.  Remove rack.  Cover soaked beans with 1” water; add salt. Seal cooker, bring up to pressure, reduce heat and maintain pressure for required time.  Stay close by until heat is shut off.  Never remove the weight while pressure is still in the cooker.  Cooking time increases by approximately one-third if beans are not soaked.

NOTE:  Before using a pressure cooker, read the manufacture’s complete instructions.

Basic Beans

After soaking 1 cup of dry beans, cover with 3 cups water.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons oil (optional).  Simmer until done.

NOTE:  Beans may be drained and rinsed and fresh water added to help your system adjust to the side effects caused from beans.

Refried Beans/Pureed Beans

Drain cooked beans and save liquid.  Mash warm beans with potato masher in heated skillet with a small amount of oil, adding liquid back in as needed for desired texture.  Add desired seasoning.  These beans can be frozen for later use.

Fat Replacement

Cooked beans may be pureed and used in place of part of the fat in baked goods.  (Omit oil, salt and any other seasonings when cooking beans.)  Beans will help provide moisture to the recipe, but since pureed beans will not act the same way as fat in baking, the final product will be changed.  Blend cooked beans with water, if needed, until they are the consistency of shortening.  Do not replace all fat with pureed beans.  Begin by replacing 1/4 to 1/2 and test the quality of the product.

Using Very Old Hard Beans

If beans are still hard after cooking, any of the above mentioned ways, try putting the beans with or without part of the cooking water in a container and freeze until solid.  Remove beans, thaw and try cooking again.  Freezing the beans (with the little amount of water they absorbed from the cooking) often causes the fibers inside the beans to break and therefore cook and soften the next time they are cooked.