You'd think I'd know beans by now (pinto beans)

[billy logan]

My latest pot of pinto beans seemed to take a long time to come to a boil, but then it needed only 20 minutes of simmering.
Usually it takes 45 or 50 minutes of simmering.

possible explanations?
1) Maybe beans do significant cooking (softening) at a high, but less than bubbling, temperature? (like 200 degrees F)
If so, then "the long time to come to a boil" minutes should be added to the 20 minutes of simmering

2) This batch was pre-soaked maybe 13 hours room temperature instead of the usual 8 or 10 hours room temperature.

3) Your take on it

btw
à la the kitchen adventures thread: I put too much black pepper thinking it was the cumin. Not as bad as feared ;-)

 

[msalama]

So did you add some cumin in the end still?

 

[The Angle]

Man, I love me some spiced-up pinto beans. I soak mine for 24 hours before cooking, and they're ready to eat after 20 minutes of simmering. I'll let them go up to 30 or 35 if I want a softer batch.

 

[schmee]

Soaked beans cook much faster. Not sure about 8 vs 13 hours though?
I've been not soaking them and they cook fine, in fact you still have to be careful you dont turn them to mush!

 

[radtz]

I just read in book on cooking beans that they take much longer to cook if you use salted water. I have no idea if that's true, but its what the author says. YMMV

 

[thunderbyrd]

obviously, you're using the wrong kind of water. use that other kind next time.

also, i'd like to take this opportunity to discuss an important side issue: beans and flatulence. i have never, ever found that beans make me fart anymore than any other food does. what is your experience?

 

[Whatizitman]

Beans can be slow cooked in a crockpot - which I highly recommend. Which means, in essence, you don't need very high temp, boiling water. At least not for very long, once they are hydrated. And probably the extra soak time helped.

Crock pot. Get one if you don't have one already. Rinsed beans in pot. Cover ~3 inches with water. Can add some salt and/or dried oregano or cilantro to the water. But not needed. Crockpot on high for ~4 hours, give or take. Just cook until they are done. Nothing could be easier. No pre-boil or soaking. Less mess. No taking up room on the stove.

And then cumin. And don't be shy about it.

 

[oldunc]

I just read in book on cooking beans that they take much longer to cook if you use salted water. I have no idea if that's true, but its what the author says. YMMV

That myth has been pretty well exploded; soaking in salt water actually helps water permeate the skin. A small amount of baking soda added to the soaking water will help the beans cook through more readily. I like to toss in some liquid smoke as well (most of my bean dishes involve smoked meats).

 

[trapdoor2]

+1 on the crockpot. No soaking, just a bit of pre-planning. We stick with low and slow...8hrs? I don't remember.

Miz Diane would rather eat pintos than dessert. We'll have 'em for dinner and I'll make refried with the leftovers.

 

[dankilling]

Funny, literally had bbq pinto beans for lunch today!

 

[radtz]

That myth has been pretty well exploded; soaking in salt water actually helps water permeate the skin. A small amount of baking soda added to the soaking water will help the beans cook through more readily. I like to toss in some liquid smoke as well (most of my bean dishes involve smoked meats).

It seemed nonsensical to me, but I'm not the guy who wrote a book on dried beans..... He wasn't talking about the soaking stage only the cooking stage. Either way.... I don't plan on spending time testing it.

 

[Whatizitman]

Crockpot makes it sooooo easy. Been doing it more lately, as we're trying to reduce red meat for protein. Saturday or Sunday morn make enough to keep for the week. Makes enough for 2-3 meals for wife and I, now we're empty nesters.

Beans, homemade salsa..... Yum. Also got an airfryer, so we cut up corn tortillas and make chips.

 

[billy logan]

post #2 msalama - Yes! Plenty of cumin
post#3 The Angle - I will try that 24 hour soaking - Do they start to decompose? Is that at fridge temperature?
#5 radtz - I wondered about salt in the soak water, hmmm, wouldn't that make a higher boiling point (if you keep the soaking water as the cooking water) #11 Oh, cooking stage, that's just good practice
#6 thunderbird - Beans and flatulence is an "end issue" for me - not a "side issue" but people can be very different
#7 Whatizitman - In your crockpot method - does the water bubble? And, you add cumin only when they're done? I like the house to smell strongly of cumin during the cooking
#8 oldunc - CONTROVERSY! I been adding a little salt to the soak water from time to time, but not scientifically so I didn't learn Anything one way or the other.
#9 trapdoor2 - One-step process, xlnt! Does your setting on the crockpot make 'em bubble (simmer)?

 

[BigDaddyLH]

also, i'd like to take this opportunity to discuss an important side issue: beans and flatulence. i have never, ever found that beans make me fart anymore than any other food does. what is your experience?

... the complete opposite!

Things that make me fart, big time:
* beans, pulses, etc...
* tofu (cuz, soybean, I assume)
* dairy

 

[fenderchamp]

I soak overnight or parboil and soak for a hour, cook in a pressure cooker wit a little salt. let pressure cooker whistle 3-6 times. turn off the stove. when the pressure subsides they are done.

 

[Whatizitman]

#7 Whatizitman - In your crockpot method - does the water bubble? And, you add cumin only when they're done? I like the house to smell strongly of cumin during the cooking

It mainly is a simmer. But a slow cooker takes a while before it ever gets to a boiling temp. That's what I meant. It's just that it is cooking during that time. So it's not much different than cooking un-soaked beans on the stove. The biggest benefits being you can leave it unattended for several hours, and you don't have to adjust temps or worry about them burning or boiling over.

You can spice it up however you want while cooking. But I tend not to, because I don't always know what I'm gonna do with the beans after they're cooked. They might be refried, charro style, go into chili, or whatever. Or just thrown on a tortilla as is. I do like to put some salt in the water. But there will always be more added later depending on recipes. So I don't put in tons.

 

[radtz]

post #2 msalama - Yes! Plenty of cumin
post#3 The Angle - I will try that 24 hour soaking - Do they start to decompose? Is that at fridge temperature?
#5 radtz - I wondered about salt in the soak water, hmmm, wouldn't that make a higher boiling point (if you keep the soaking water as the cooking water) #11 Oh, cooking stage, that's just good practice
#6 thunderbird - Beans and flatulence is an "end issue" for me - not a "side issue" but people can be very different
#7 Whatizitman - In your crockpot method - does the water bubble? And, you add cumin only when they're done? I like the house to smell strongly of cumin during the cooking
#8 oldunc - CONTROVERSY! I been adding a little salt to the soak water from time to time, but not scientifically so I didn't learn Anything one way or the other.
#9 trapdoor2 - One-step process, xlnt! Does your setting on the crockpot make 'em bubble (simmer)?

It seem counterintuitive to me. I just read it in a book about dried beans and the cooking there of. My post was not an endorsement of the no salt bean cooking lobby, It was just a "factoid" that stuck in my head after reading it yesterday. I was looking at cutting down on red meat and I remembered that I had this book... I am now regretting my previous post. If I could reach the book from here I would post the author's name so we could ask him about his bean cooking statement/hypothesis and pass critiques on to him.

 

[Killing Floor]

Did you use fatback? My beans turn out great when I soak overnight and cook off a little bacon in the pot first. You didn’t mention what kind of pork you seasoned them with.

 

[Whatizitman]

The biggest benefits being you can leave it unattended for several hours, and you don't have to adjust temps or worry about them burning or boiling over.

On that note..... When I was young and still fairly new to living on my own (pre-internet), I asked some friends from Mexico how to cook pinto beans. I should have guessed their instructions might have made more sense to people who grew up around kitchens where dried beans were cooked from scratch.... Anyway, the parts about pre-soaking and cooking got a little mixed in my head. At some point in the night, my roommate woke me up to tell me my beans were on fire.

Yes. Yes, they were. Well, burned to a black crisp by that point. But still filling the house with black smoke. I put the pan outside. Later threw it away. The smell of burned pinto beans still comes to me every once in a while.

Didn't try cooking beans from scratch until years later. Long after the internet became a reckoning force in my life.

 

[drlucky]

+1 on the slow cooker. There's a meat market near me that sells smoked ham shanks. I have the butcher cut one into thirds, then add one section to the beans (along with chopped onion, cumin, chili powder), cover with a couple of inches water then cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low for 6-8).

Make some cornbread an' we're good to go!!