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Bean Question

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
3 May 2007
Last activity
7 May 2007
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Mr Libido Incognito
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72
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  1. I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido Incognito
    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other side
    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    So I was wondering how many 14 oz cans of navy beans I'd need to equal
    the 2 and 1/2 cups of dried beans required in this recipe; as I have a
    jonesing for bean and bacon soup that just won't stop. I'm thinking 2.

    Modifications to the following recipe.... so far I'm considering adding
    lime juice, sliced elephant garlic, liquid smoke and crushed red pepper
    flakes and I'm considering replacing the potato with something maybe a
    diced pablano pepper or maybe diced ham ..

    Bean and Bacon Soup

    INGREDIENTS:

    2-1/2 cups dried navy beans
    3 quarts water
    8 slices bacon
    3 onions, chopped
    2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
    1 cup sliced carrots
    28 oz. can tomato juice
    2 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. pepper
    1 bay leaf

    PREPARATION:
    Combine beans and 3 quarts water in large pot. Bring to a boil and boil
    for 2 minutes. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cook bacon until
    crisp in large stock pot. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain and
    crumble. Add chopped onions to bacon drippings. Cook and stir until onions
    are tender. Add partially cooked beans and cooking liquid. Cover and cook
    over low heat for 1 hour.

  2. On Thu, 03 May 2007 03:04:28 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:


    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido Incognito
    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other side
    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    Alan,

    Maybe it isn't you, but the beans?

    Where are you buying your beans...are you buying them in a place where
    you can only get bagged beans? Or in a place where you can get beans
    in bulk, and where there is a fast turnover?

    I am thinking you are buying old beans..and sometimes they never get
    soft, if that is the case.

    Maybe try a different source for your beans?

    Christine

  3. Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:


    So I was wondering how many 14 oz cans of navy beans I'd need to
    equal the 2 and 1/2 cups of dried beans required in this recipe; as I
    have a jonesing for bean and bacon soup that just won't stop. I'm
    thinking 2.

    Google is your friend :-)

    http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

    2&1/2 cups = 20oz

    http://www.onlineconversion.com/

    has a *whole* range of things to convert.

    --
    Peter Lucas
    Brisbane
    Australia

    "People sleep safely in their beds because rough men stand ready in
    the night to do violence to those who would do them harm"
    -- George Orwell

  4. "Christine Dabney" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    On Thu, 03 May 2007 03:04:28 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:


    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido Incognito
    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other side
    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    Alan,

    Maybe it isn't you, but the beans?

    No. That is crazy. Cooking dried beans simply takes patience
    And NEVER add salt.

    Soak them overnight, change the water, bring to a boil then down
    to a simmer, cover and leave them for 1-3 hours. Black beans take
    the longest. You can put pepper and fresh garlic in them, it does fine.
    But never salt, until they are completely soft. Put a dollop of olive
    oil in to make them creamy.

    Stop thinking BOIL and think "one-bubble simmer."

    There is nothing simpler than cooking dried beans.

    --
    Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

  5. PeterL said:
    Mr Libido Incognito said:


    So I was wondering how many 14 oz cans of navy beans I'd need to
    equal the 2 and 1/2 cups of dried beans required in this recipe; as I
    have a jonesing for bean and bacon soup that just won't stop. I'm
    thinking 2.

    Google is your friend :-)

    http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm

    2&1/2 cups = 20oz

    http://www.onlineconversion.com/

    has a *whole* range of things to convert.

    I think there is more than one flaw in that plan. First, I'm pretty sure the can
    of beans is by weight, not volume. At least that's true of all the canned goods
    I looked at in my pantry (though no beans). Second, dried beans expand
    considerably when soaked.

    My Joy of Cooking cookbook says 1 cup of dried beans will expand to between 2
    and 2-1/2 cups after soaking. The canned beans should be equivalent to soaked
    dried beans. On a bag of dried navy beans I have, the instructions say that 1
    cup of dried beans will make 3 cups of cooked beans.

    2-1/2 cups of dried beans would seem to make between 5 and 7-1/2 cups of soaked
    beans.

    Though the cans are by weight, I'd think it's still roughly close to the volume
    measurement. So the can might have 1-3/4 cups in it. So it would take between 3
    and 4 cans of beans. I'd measure the beans as I opened a can and decide based on
    that.

    Maybe there's a flaw in my plan too, if anyone wants to correct it.

    --
    wff_ng_7 (at) verizon (dot) net

  6. On Wed, 2 May 2007 23:57:50 -0400, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    No. That is crazy. Cooking dried beans simply takes patience
    And NEVER add salt.

    No, it is not crazy. Old, very dried beans will never get soft. I
    suggest you read up on this... This does happen.

    Christine

  7. Mr Libido Incognito said:


    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido Incognito
    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other side
    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    You've tried all the wrong methods.

    Start your water boiling to a full rolling boil. Use plenty of water.
    Not some measured amount, but enough to fully cover the beans keep
    them agitated during the initial boil. Add the washed beans to the
    boiling water and adjust heat to keep the beans moving, but not so
    much as cause a boil over. Forget pre-soaking the beans, it's a waste
    of time. Let the beans cook at this agitated boil for at least an
    hour or more. Leave the lid off the pot and add more water if too
    much evaporates. After an hour or so, you can reduce the boil and let
    the water reduce to the desired amount. Continue to let the beans
    simmer until done. Test the beans periodically for doneness. Using
    this method, your beans will come out just like you want them and the
    skins will not be tough. Add salt after the beans have reached the
    degree of doneness you desire.

    You can still stand on one leg, if you'd like.

    nb

  8. On Wed, 2 May 2007 23:57:50 -0400, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    No. That is crazy. Cooking dried beans simply takes patience
    And NEVER add salt.

    Soak them overnight, change the water, bring to a boil then down
    to a simmer, cover and leave them for 1-3 hours. Black beans take
    the longest. You can put pepper and fresh garlic in them, it does fine.
    But never salt, until they are completely soft. Put a dollop of olive
    oil in to make them creamy.

    This has been proven to be a fallacy. Salt does nothing to affect the
    texture, and if you salt them at first, they will be salted all the
    way through. Read Russ Parsons, read Harold McGee.

    Besides..how many times do we add some salted pork product to them
    from the start and they do just fine? They get salted that way from
    the start, and they get tender.

    Try it.

    Christine

  9. Christine Dabney wrote on 02 May 2007 in rec.food.cooking

    Quoted message said:

    On Thu, 03 May 2007 03:04:28 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:


    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido
    Incognito and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've
    tried the overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the
    boil twice method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking
    from the other side of the glass and many other folk lore methods,
    alas nothing helps.

    Alan,

    Maybe it isn't you, but the beans?

    Where are you buying your beans...are you buying them in a place where
    you can only get bagged beans? Or in a place where you can get beans
    in bulk, and where there is a fast turnover?

    I am thinking you are buying old beans..and sometimes they never get
    soft, if that is the case.

    Maybe try a different source for your beans?

    Christine

    I'm buying my beans canned....I have given up...I gave this much thought. I
    rarely, other than for use in soups, stews and humus, eat beans. I dislike
    boston baked beans and pork and beans ...the sweetness makes me shudder in
    horror.Some will only eat canned mushrooms others only fresh. So as a
    logical extension of my dislike of beans ...I find canned bean meet my
    needs mostly. We all have food fetishes and I can live with myself over any
    bean issues I have and eat liver to console myself.

    So I'm going with 2-14 oz cans of navy beans in my modified bean and bacon
    soup. Another soup day tomorrow, as I'm low on homemade soups for work
    lunches. Made a paultry 15-3 cup containers of Bean, Cabbage and Sausage
    soup today. Tomorrow is bean and Bacon (I'll probably double the recipe)
    and the day after is a almond and wild rice soup recipe I got from Damsel,
    which is quite excellent. On the weekend I'm thinking maybe Nanners
    Tortillia soup or a Veggie,beef barley number...That should hold me for a
    month or 3. Then on to Stews and pot pies. I got a loverly chicken spring
    veggie pot pie recipe from a new cookbook I want to try...excepting I need
    smallish one serving ovenware containers... that I can freeze...thinking
    foil jobs except I'd like to microwave to reheat...Can you say I see
    corningware or ironstone purchases in my future.

  10. On Thu, 03 May 2007 04:21:11 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>
    wrote:

    That should hold me for a
    I got a loverly chicken spring

    Quoted message said:

    veggie pot pie recipe from a new cookbook I want to try

    Hmm..what cookbook?

    I just got 23 new cookbooks from Amazon... and I have another one
    coming tomorrow. I finally was able to buy some after not buying any
    or almost any for over a year or so. Some great titles...and great
    authors. And some great recipes.

    Christine

  11. Christine Dabney wrote on 02 May 2007 in rec.food.cooking

    Quoted message said:

    On Thu, 03 May 2007 04:21:11 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>
    wrote:

    That should hold me for a
    I got a loverly chicken spring

    Quoted message said:

    veggie pot pie recipe from a new cookbook I want to try

    Hmm..what cookbook?

    I just got 23 new cookbooks from Amazon... and I have another one
    coming tomorrow. I finally was able to buy some after not buying any
    or almost any for over a year or so. Some great titles...and great
    authors. And some great recipes.

    Christine

    A marked down number I got at Costco....Home style family meals...by
    nobody I'd heard of before...but nice sounding recipes. The W S soup
    cookbook was disappointing and this home style family meals was a delight.

    Note to self: leaf through any William and Sonoma cookbooks in the future
    before buying them no matter how cheap.

  12. On Thu, 03 May 2007 04:35:59 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    A marked down number I got at Costco....Home style family meals...by
    nobody I'd heard of before...but nice sounding recipes. The W S soup
    cookbook was disappointing and this home style family meals was a delight.

    Oh, I have found some good soups from that book.. Try the
    Broccoli-Leek one.. if that is the volume you have. It is very
    good. But I have to admit I tinker with that recipe, and add Sunny
    Paris to it. It adds a nice flavor/undertone to it.

    And I know Charlotte likes the lentil one in there.

    Quoted message said:


    Note to self: leaf through any William and Sonoma cookbooks in the future
    before buying them no matter how cheap.

    I personally like those books, and have many of them.

    Christine

  13. Mr Libido Incognito said:

    I'm buying my beans canned....I have given up...I gave this much thought.


    I

    Quoted message said:

    rarely, other than for use in soups, stews and humus, eat beans. I dislike
    boston baked beans and pork and beans ...the sweetness makes me shudder in
    horror.

    See, if you make yer own baked beans from scratch you can vary the
    seasonings to taste, you'll find them quite tasty...superior to any canned.
    It's like the diff between canned and home - made soups...

    There are TONS of bean varieties, beans in all their permutations are one of
    the fun - nest things to make...

    --
    Best
    Greg

  14. cyberSQUAT said:

    "Christine Dabney" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    On Thu, 03 May 2007 03:04:28 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:


    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido


    Incognito

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other


    side

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    Alan,

    Maybe it isn't you, but the beans?

    No. That is crazy. Cooking dried beans simply takes patience
    And NEVER add salt.

    Soak them overnight, change the water, bring to a boil then down
    to a simmer, cover and leave them for 1-3 hours. Black beans take
    the longest. You can put pepper and fresh garlic in them, it does fine.
    But never salt, until they are completely soft. Put a dollop of olive
    oil in to make them creamy.

    Stop thinking BOIL and think "one-bubble simmer."

    There is nothing simpler than cooking dried beans.

    And there is NO need to soak beanz overnight, cyberSQUAT...that's just a
    needless step.

    --
    Best
    Greg

  15. Christine Dabney wrote on 02 May 2007 in rec.food.cooking

    Quoted message said:

    On Thu, 03 May 2007 04:35:59 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    A marked down number I got at Costco....Home style family meals...by
    nobody I'd heard of before...but nice sounding recipes. The W S soup
    cookbook was disappointing and this home style family meals was a
    delight.

    Oh, I have found some good soups from that book.. Try the
    Broccoli-Leek one.. if that is the volume you have. It is very
    good. But I have to admit I tinker with that recipe, and add Sunny
    Paris to it. It adds a nice flavor/undertone to it.

    And I know Charlotte likes the lentil one in there.

    Quoted message said:


    Note to self: leaf through any William and Sonoma cookbooks in the
    future before buying them no matter how cheap.

    I personally like those books, and have many of them.

    Christine

    I found it too much interested in the Tech end of things...Too many pages
    on how to chop stuff and too many pages on how to make basic stocks...etc.

    I guess if I didn't have 20 or 30 other cookbooks on how to make soup it
    might appeal. But 3 pages on: when, how and why to moisten cheese cloth to
    help strain the stock properly is too much techno-babble for me. When
    other books follow other just as valid methods to produce the same
    results...I found it a very boring and limiting volume. Especialy when in
    every recipe it has a tip which says use store bought stocks and start at
    step 6.

  16. On Thu, 03 May 2007 05:32:48 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    I found it too much interested in the Tech end of things...Too many pages
    on how to chop stuff and too many pages on how to make basic stocks...etc.

    I guess if I didn't have 20 or 30 other cookbooks on how to make soup it
    might appeal. But 3 pages on: when, how and why to moisten cheese cloth to
    help strain the stock properly is too much techno-babble for me. When
    other books follow other just as valid methods to produce the same
    results...I found it a very boring and limiting volume. Especialy when in
    every recipe it has a tip which says use store bought stocks and start at
    step 6.

    Hmm..that doesn't sound like the book I have. Must be another one.

    Christine

  17. On Thu, 03 May 2007 05:13:11 GMT, "Gregory Morrow"
    <[email hidden]> wrote:

    <snipped>

    Quoted message said:

    And there is NO need to soak beanz overnight, cyberSQUAT...that's just a
    needless step.

    It is definitely not a needless step. You can, if you wish, bring
    the beans to a boil and let them sit for about four hours. After
    that, you can proceed to cooking them as called for by the recipe you
    are using. Black beans I would definitely soak overnight. Pinto beans
    should be soaked for at least a couple of hours. It depends on the
    bean that you are using.

    To the previous poster, salt does make a difference. The difference
    may depend on the bean that you are using, however, and the results of
    adding salt to the beans at the beginning may vary.

    David

  18. On Thu, 03 May 2007 03:04:28 GMT, Mr Libido Incognito <[email hidden]>

    Quoted message said:

    I can't cook beans to save my soul...Hello my name is Mr Libido Incognito
    and I can't cook dried beans. They are always tough...I've tried the
    overnight soaking...adding baking soda, adding salt, the boil twice
    method...no acids...standing on my left leg , drinking from the other side
    of the glass and many other folk lore methods, alas nothing helps.

    One thing that you did not mention trying was cooking the beans in a
    pressure cooker. I can pretty much guarantee that this methid will
    work.

    <snipped>

    David

  19. David said:

    It is definitely not a needless step.

    Yes, it is. There is absolutely no need whatsoever to soak beans for
    any length of time unless you want the skin to remain tough long after
    the interior is cooked. The longer you soak, the more pronounced this
    effect. OTOH, I suppose there are some folks who like their bean skin
    a little more chewy.

    nb

  20. notbob said:

    There is absolutely no need whatsoever to soak beans for
    any length of time unless you want the skin to remain tough long after
    the interior is cooked.

    Doesn't an overnight soak shorten the cooking time?

    Steve

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