Bet you thought I forgot about you?
No chance of that, dear ones. Just got wrapped up in life, and all that jazz.
So, what's this post about? One word: Beans. Or, more specifically, dried beans.
You see, I love beans, but I'm dried bean-challenged. At first I thought it was an altitude thing (living at 6,500 can convince you that everything is an altitude thing). Then I thought it was an "old beans" thing. But every time I turned around, everyone is making beans without any problems.
Every one but me, that is. If a recipe called for dried beans, I simply substituted canned beans. Problem solved. But, not really. First, canned beans have tons of added salt. Then there's the cost difference. Plus, it just really, really ticked me off that something so seemingly simply could be so darn difficult.
I set about giving every different cooking method a try (which, if you don't already know, is kind of my modus operandi). I tried overnight soaks. I tried quick boils. I tried the crock pot.
Result: Fail. Fail. Fail. So much of a fail, that one of my efforts resulted in my soaking, heating, rinsing and repeating of the same pot of beans for seven straight days. The end result: beans with the texture of cold crayons. Ewwwww!
So, I gave up. Yep, you read that right. I entirely gave up the quest. How unlike me!
Then, last week, I was reading a book and the lead character made a dish called "Senate Bean Soup." I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up (you should too - it's got an interesting history) and I was so intrigued that I decided I had to give it a try. The only problem? Every recipe called for dried beans. Well, I was determined to make a pot, so I thought I'd just sub canned white beans. But when I got to the store, I discovered that there is no such thing as canned white beans (at least, not the "right" ones). So I got crazy, bought a bag of the dried ones and went home fully expecting another dried bean failure.
But - I got lucky - the author of the recipe included a step that isn't usually detailed in recipes involving dried beans. I guess it's something that's so ingrained in other cooks that they don't bother to mention it. But it was a total game changer.
So, I shall share the "secret," the "trick," the one thing that will make dried beans work for you (& me): Baking Soda.
Yep, the key to making dried beans work is simple, cheap & found-in-every-house in the country: BAKING SODA. I researched it and there are several reasons that it works (the abrasive nature helps "open" the beans skins, it changes the pH, etc. - but you didn't come here for a science lesson, so I'll leave it at that), but just know this: It Works.
Here's how to put this information to use:
For every pound of dried beans, as 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda to the soaking water. Soak as long as the recipe recommends, or overnight if it doesn't specify.
Rinse the beans. Add 1/8 tsp. Baking Soda to whatever liquid your recipe calls for. Then follow the recipe.
It's that simple.
Now I'm in the mood for some good old Pinto Beans - so I'm off the the kitchen!
Happy cooking!
No chance of that, dear ones. Just got wrapped up in life, and all that jazz.
So, what's this post about? One word: Beans. Or, more specifically, dried beans.
You see, I love beans, but I'm dried bean-challenged. At first I thought it was an altitude thing (living at 6,500 can convince you that everything is an altitude thing). Then I thought it was an "old beans" thing. But every time I turned around, everyone is making beans without any problems.
Every one but me, that is. If a recipe called for dried beans, I simply substituted canned beans. Problem solved. But, not really. First, canned beans have tons of added salt. Then there's the cost difference. Plus, it just really, really ticked me off that something so seemingly simply could be so darn difficult.
I set about giving every different cooking method a try (which, if you don't already know, is kind of my modus operandi). I tried overnight soaks. I tried quick boils. I tried the crock pot.
Result: Fail. Fail. Fail. So much of a fail, that one of my efforts resulted in my soaking, heating, rinsing and repeating of the same pot of beans for seven straight days. The end result: beans with the texture of cold crayons. Ewwwww!
So, I gave up. Yep, you read that right. I entirely gave up the quest. How unlike me!
Then, last week, I was reading a book and the lead character made a dish called "Senate Bean Soup." I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up (you should too - it's got an interesting history) and I was so intrigued that I decided I had to give it a try. The only problem? Every recipe called for dried beans. Well, I was determined to make a pot, so I thought I'd just sub canned white beans. But when I got to the store, I discovered that there is no such thing as canned white beans (at least, not the "right" ones). So I got crazy, bought a bag of the dried ones and went home fully expecting another dried bean failure.
But - I got lucky - the author of the recipe included a step that isn't usually detailed in recipes involving dried beans. I guess it's something that's so ingrained in other cooks that they don't bother to mention it. But it was a total game changer.
So, I shall share the "secret," the "trick," the one thing that will make dried beans work for you (& me): Baking Soda.
Yep, the key to making dried beans work is simple, cheap & found-in-every-house in the country: BAKING SODA. I researched it and there are several reasons that it works (the abrasive nature helps "open" the beans skins, it changes the pH, etc. - but you didn't come here for a science lesson, so I'll leave it at that), but just know this: It Works.
Here's how to put this information to use:
For every pound of dried beans, as 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda to the soaking water. Soak as long as the recipe recommends, or overnight if it doesn't specify.
Rinse the beans. Add 1/8 tsp. Baking Soda to whatever liquid your recipe calls for. Then follow the recipe.
It's that simple.
Now I'm in the mood for some good old Pinto Beans - so I'm off the the kitchen!
Happy cooking!
