#dried beans

Overnight method:

So the night before, put your beans in a pot and cover with with at least four inches of water. Cover them and stick them in the fridge overnight.

The next day, when you’re ready to prepare your beans, drain the water from them, rinse them off, and put new water in the pot, once again covering them with at least four inches of water. You’ll notice that your beans are bigger than they were last night, and they’re going to double again in size as you cook them.

Put your beans over a medium high heat and let them come up to a boil. I also recommend putting some aromatics in the water, so the beans can soak up some of their flavor. Bay leaves, thyme, onion, garlic, and peppercorns (whole!) are great for this. You’ll see that I used green and red peppercorns here, but that’s because they float and make for a nice picture. Use what you have!

Once your beans come up to a rolling boil, turn them down to a simmer, cover them, and let them simmer for about 45 minutes, checking them occasionally for a stir and to add additional water if you need to. After your 45 minutes is up, check your beans to see if they’re done.

You can do this one of two ways: taste one! They should be tender and creamy. If they’re still a little crunchy, they’re not quite done yet. The other way is to gently blow on the bean. If the skin splits and pulls back, then your beans are ready! 

Drain the water from the beans again, and discard your aromatics. Now your beans are recipe ready for whatever you’re doing!

Quick Soak:

Rinse and put your beans in a pot with your aromatics (bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, garlic, etc.,) covering them with at least four inches of water. Put the pot on to boil over medium-high heat, and once the water comes up to a boil, let them boil in the water for 5-6 minutes.