
Last week, I decided to make a batch of turkey chili. My younger sister and a friend of hers were staying with us and I figured chili was a easy way to cover at least one dinner and lunch the next day. I put a pound of beans in to soak overnight and then the next morning, popped them into a slow cooker. At lunchtime, I ran home to get the rest of the chili ready, browning ground turkey with some chopped onions and breaking up a can of whole peeled tomatoes.
I poured the meat and veggies into a different slow cooker and added the partially cooked beans and their cooking liquid, figuring that they would soften the rest of the way over the course of the afternoon (experienced dried been cookers may have already spotted my mistake). Except that when I got home later that night, the beans were still crunchy. We waited an hour more, and but they never got soft. We ended up picking every bean out of the chili by hand and then adding in a couple of cans of beans, in order to create a dinner we could eat.
Later that night, as I beat myself up for ruining dinner, I flipped through the Rancho Gordo Cookbook, trying to figure out where I had gone wrong. Suddenly, I found the illuminating passage. It explained that you should never add high acid foods to beans before they are fully cooked, as the acids will arrest the cooking process and so you'll end up with crunchy, undercooked beans. Just my problem. I still felt bad about having screwed up dinner, but I also felt grateful to have figured out why my beans has been so terrible. It's one mistake I won't make again.

Forbidden America: Cold War-Era Map Shows No-Go Zones For Soviet Tourists
Tenants: Stench of Death Makes St. Louis Complex 'Unlivable'
Chili's Waitress Fired Over Facebook Post Insulting 'Stupid Cops'
Man Takes Dump In Background Of Instructional Workout Video
Ricardo Cerezo, Facing Eviction, Finds $4.85 Million Lottery Ticket
2013 Billboard Music Awards: Arrivals Photos From the Blue Carpet!
MIT's cheetah robot runs faster, more efficiently, can carry its own power supply (video)
2013 Billboard Music Awards: All the Winners!
Forever 21 Worker Fired After She Tells Her Traumatic Story
Taylor Swift Q and A: What Does She Splurge on in Las Vegas?










3-13-2009 @9:53AM ssmwih2 said... This site gives you all the infe that you'll ever need about beans.
http://www.centralbean.com/index-2.html
Think I'll get a pressure cooker!
Reply
3-13-2009 @12:14PM Crystal said... Bummer! I think everyone has made that mistake when first starting to cook dried beans, though. I like to cook a big pot of beans on a weekend, and then freeze them in smaller portions. That way I get the convenience of cooked beans while controling the amount of sodium that goes into them.
Reply
3-13-2009 @5:25PM Sally said... I've been cooking beans in the slow cooker exclusively following the recipe I found at Kitchen Parade. I've done black, pinto, Great Northern, cannellini, and chickpeas (I think more, too) -- always with excellent results. I add aromatics at the beginning and other ingredients, including tomatoes, after they've cooked about 3 hours.
http://kitchenparade.com/2008/02/pork-poblano-skillet-with-creamy-slow.php
Reply
3-13-2009 @8:31PM btdown said... I always thought you werent supposed to keep the water the beans were soaking in. Anyway, even after soaking overnight, the beans will still be crunchy. You'll need to cooking them on high for at least 5-6 hours until they soften up.
Reply
3-14-2009 @11:13PM del said... I appreciate you sharing this and look forward to digging in.
http://www.the-master-cleanse-diet.com
Reply
4-28-2009 @10:48PM Amy F said... I like to do what's called a quick soak: Cover beans with water and bring to a boil. Place a cover on the pot, turn the heat off and wait at least one hour. Don't add salt (that will also prohibit the softening). Drain and rinse with water. Add fresh water back to the pot. Cook for 30-60 minutes, depending upon the age and size of the bean. You can also put them into a chili or soup at this point as long as they simmer for the proper amount of time.
Reply