Crockpot slow cooker and beans

[pjm-7]

I'm also at a higher altitude. I'm old school and cook my beans on the stove. I do soak the beans overnight and throw out the water, rinse again and then add new water to cook. Pintos are pretty good when cooked with chopped onion, cumin and green chili salsa. You can add more "hot" seasonings if you prefer.

[audreyh1]

Old beans take longer to cook.

I think one reason Latino cooks don't soak their beans is that their dried beans are relatively fresh. Turnover is high. And I buy my beans were I know they haven't been sitting around for a year - we have a high % of Hispanics in our community.

Maybe the US practice of non-Latinos soaking their beans happened because the beans were often pretty old?

[DEC-1982]

HFWR, I just learnt another word, parboiling. I will consider that for black beans; I do that for removing the toxins for kidney beans. I was just googling time for parboiling beans, and the answer was 30 min, 60 min, 3 hours, depending upon the toughness of the beans.

pjm-7, how long does it take for you have to cook on the stove for your beans? Per brewer, cooking time for pinto < black < garbanzo. Just as a point of reference for me.

That's a good point audreyh1 - I read that soaking is good for old beans. Problem is, I have no idea whether the beans I am buying are new or not. We decided yesterday we would not buy beans from the store where the cooking took "forever". Actually I'll follow your suggestion and look for some Hispanic grocery stores for these beans and test.

Feedback from family was that the cooked black beans were OK, should have been cooked more. I agreed with that assessment.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEC-1982 Feedback from family was that the cooked black beans were OK, should have been cooked more. I agreed with that assessment.

Aside from cooking for a longer time, try sautéing your onion and garlic for the black beans in coconut oil. "Coconut beans" disappear quickly in my house.

[Time2re]

Got the Instant Pot 7 in 1 duo from Santa. So much more than a crock pot, and takes care of beans so quick with the pressure (manual) setting. Happy to have given away my slow cooker, rice cooker and yogurt maker.

[Katsmeow]

So, I read this thread. And on another site I read a thread about Instant Pot. So I went and read about that, remembering I had seen some Instant Pot recipes. I was thinking of getting a new rice cooker anyway so I ordered an Instant Pot from Amazon instead.

[audreyh1]

I have a neighbor singing the praises of the instant pot and saying I should get one. But the biggest crockpot I've ever used is 3.5 quart and I make rice in small quantities - like 1 cup. Not sure about this larger capacity device.

[Time2re]

There is just me and DH. I use it a lot. Not a big FB fan, but they have a nice community there and share recipes, ideas and even failures. Lots of websites devoted to IP cooking also. Enjoying trying lots of different recipes, cook methods, etc.

[Katsmeow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Time2re There is just me and DH. I use it a lot. Not a big FB fan, but they have a nice community there and share recipes, ideas and even failures. Lots of websites devoted to IP cooking also. Enjoying trying lots of different recipes, cook methods, etc.

What is the FB page you go to for Instant Pot cooking. Since I am getting one on Wednesday it would be helpful to know.

[Time2re]

Search: instant Pot Community. Right now, it seems be be getting about 1000 new members a day!

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Time2re Search: instant Pot Community. Right now, it seems be be getting about 1000 new members a day!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/

[Janet H]

I also use a crock pot for dried beans. This week it will be black eyed peas for a new years bash. I soak them overnight and then put them on mid morning for an evening meal.

1 pound black eyed peas - soaked and drained.
4 cups water
1 can rotel
1 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, diced
black pepper
cumin

Cook until soft (about 6 hours) and add more water if needed. Near end of cooking add a large handful chopped kale or collard greens, salt, 2 Tbls olive oil, lemon juice and just before serving add a handful of chopped parsley. Mine are vegetarian but some ham or bacon would likely be a good addition during cooking.

Serve it up with a chunk of cornbread or a roll.

[Sarah in SC]

Bless you Janet!!
I just bought some black eyed peas and came here to see if anyone had a good recipe! You rock!

[RonBoyd]

Why Do I Have to Soak Dry Beans?

Quote:

A lot of people have misconceptions about soaking beans. Beans are grouped according to hardness, and not all beans need to be soaked. The softer categories of legumes like Split Peas, Lentils and Butterbeans can be quickly pressure cooked without soaking, but the hardest beans, such as the Soybean, are so hard they need a full 12 hours to rehydrate. Many think the main reason to soak beans is to minimize gas, and while it's true that soaking does help to remove the indigestible complex sugars (oligosaccharides) from the outer coating of the beans, it's certainly not the primary reason to soak.

[Spudd]

I wonder if your Crock-Pot is not heating up appropriately. With the times you've mentioned the beans should be well cooked.

[MBAustin]

Great idea to use Rotel when cooking beans, Janet - I never thought of that! I'll also be doing black-eyed peas tomorrow but my recipe for that is tomato-less.

[Amethyst]

What a great thread, with all sorts of helpful hints and things I never knew before. I was thinking of donating my late-70's-vintage Crock Pot, and now I'm keeping it to cook beans (which I love, and are good for us).

[AllDone]

I just opened the Instant Pot and tried the black-eyed peas for tonight's dinner. They are perfect! I had some ham bone stock, er, "bone broth" (as the kidz call it) in the freezer so I used that to cook the beans with some onion, green chilis, tomatoes, and a good hit of Worcestershire. I piled it all into the IP, put the lid on, hit the "soup" button and walked away until it beeped completion.

[DEC-1982]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spudd I wonder if your Crock-Pot is not heating up appropriately. With the times you've mentioned the beans should be well cooked.

I don't know, I am going to test this in a semi-scientific way. I have borrowed a friend's cooking thermometer to take some measurements the next time I use the Crock-Pot. I also borrowed their Crock-Pot and I am going to cook in it in parallel for comparison. I did notice their Crock-Pot has a (rubber?) lining between the lid and the container to reduce heat escape; mine doesn't.

[iac1003]

I love my Instant Pot. In fact I have 2. I had a Fagor before and a Cuisinart which suddenly died. Both had Teflon-coated inner pots whereas the Instant Pot's is stainless steel. It is my favorite cooking utensil, right alongside my Vitamix blender and my 1975 Cuisinart food processor, still going strong.


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