I mentioned earlier this year that I was planning on doing a series on kitchen terms and definitions. Well, I decided to call the series Cooking Basics. This way I can cover basics terms and definitions, but also some basic cooking how to’s.
Today I thought I would start with cooking dried beans.
Whenever I write about cooking dried beans I receive several emails and comments from people who have never cooked them. Because of this, I thought it would be a perfect place to start with my Cooking Basics Series. I also decided this would be a perfect subject to do a vlog on.
I grew up eating mainly dried beans. I don’t remember my mom buying many canned beans. The only canned beans I remember eating very often were refried beans, and that was mainly when we had tacos or other Mexican type foods. Dried beans were much cheaper to buy, so that is what we always ate.
Canned beans are so convenient that most people don’t bother with dried beans anymore. However, I prefer dried beans. Not only are they cheaper, but they do not contain the high amount of salt that most canned beans do.
I hope this vlog on cooking dried beans, will help show some of you that have never tried cooking them, how easy it really is.
One thing I will say is that the cooking times can really vary depending on your crockpot. The times do not have to be exact as long as your beans get done.
One other thing that I did not mention in the vlog is that beans that are really old can take a lot longer to cook or often do not soften at all. So, if you have had a package of beans in your cupboard for years keep that in mind.
And if you have ideas for more subjects for me to vlog on, leave me a comment. I love hearing what you would like to see.
Since posting this video I have done some research on cooking dried red beans. It seems like dried red beans need to come to a boil and need cooked for a certain amount of time. I have never had trouble with cooking dried beans in the crockpot, but if you are going to try cooking dried red beans you might want to do some research on it. I will keep you updated as I research it more.
If you are reading this in a reader or by email and cannot see the vlog click here to view it.
yea! just what I needed 🙂 Thanks.
.-= SnoWhite´s last blog ..Menu – April 26 =-.
Great vlog! I always cook my beans in the crockpot – it’s such a great way to cook them. Quick question – do you measure the amount that you have in the container? Or are you able to just take out the amount that you want while they are still frozen? Also, do you know how many cups of beans are in the standard sizes of canned beans? Thanks again! I really enjoy your blog.
Ok, this series is going to be great for me! Now, because I’m inept in the kitchen… how exactly do you thaw the beans to cook them? For instance if I was wanting to make your seasoned black beans. Thanks!
.-= Meshellyn´s last blog ..Ultimate Blog Party 2010 =-.
@Meshellyn, I usually defrost the beans before using them in anything. Although I have put them into a soup still frozen and let them defrost and heat in the soup. A can of beans is about 1 1/2 cups, so I freeze them in 1 1/2 – 2 cup containers. They freeze solid so it would be hard to measure them once they are frozen.
Wow – I just spent time last night trying to find good directions for cooking dry beans in my crock pot! I’m trying to get away from using canned food because of sodium and also BPA. Thanks for the timely post!
.-= Keri´s last blog ..Do Hard Things =-.
Great vlog, your so cute!!! Love the tips on cooking beans and freezing for later use, I need to start doing that. We use canned beans all the time.
.-= Jenna @ Newlyweds´s last blog ..Spicy Romano Chicken =-.
I just love being able to put a face and voice to the woman whose blog I read all the time! 🙂 I also cook my beans this way, that was a great introduction to cooking dry beans.
So glad that I stopped by tonight….Great post..
A night of blog hopping….Hope you will stop by and visit me….Enjoyed reading your blog tonight…
Teresa
https://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/
so helpful!! I’ve never cooked dried beans before, but I want to. I heard somewhere that you shouldn’t cook kidney beans in a crockpot on low because they can release something not good for you? You need to boil them first or something? I have no idea how accurate that is…have you ever heard anything like that?
.-= megan´s last blog ..Stovetop Popcorn =-.
@megan, I have heard that you need to make sure to cook red beans for long enough. I am not sure about the boiling. I will have to research it more.
Thank you so much for this!! I’ve been wanting to learn how to do this, but wasn’t really sure where to start!
VERY excited to see the rest of this series!!
Awesome video and perfect timing! I just stumbled on your blog via the Gluten Free Homemaker.
No kidding. I just bought beans the other day and soaked them. I was so frustrated because I kept thinking.. this is so not worth it. But now that I know I can stick them in the crock pot AND freeze them.. awesome!
Thanks so much. Can’t wait to look around your blog some more and follow!!
@Mikki, If you are gluten free you might also like the allergy section of my site. https://lynnskitchenadventures.com/lra/
The majority of the recipes that I post here are now gluten free, but on my allergy section I post my gluten free baked goods, and items that contain gluten free flours, etc. I am so glad you found me.
Thanks- you inspired me to soak some black eyed peas. I will put those in the crock pot tomorrow morning!
it’s a few weeks late, but just wanted to say that this was so helpful! I bought a bag of dried beans today and realized I was pretty clueless of what to do with them next! Thanks for the little how-to video!
Great vlog! I loved how prepared you were and how helpful the step-by-step directions were. Thank you!
Well followed recipe and video to the tee and came out with very mushy kidney beans. I was so disappointed! Tossed them they were so musy. Used the salt water over night and put in crock for 8 hours on low. So I won’t be doing that again. Back to canned beans for me unless someone has solution.