For any kind of regular sized bean, such as pinto or red kidney, you can't just dump them in and start boiling. A lot of people have told me that you can, but

For any kind of regular sized bean, such as pinto or red kidney, you can't just dump them in and start boiling. A lot of people have told me that you can, but those people's beans have hard centers that don't digest well and give you a tummy ache. There are also people who claim it helps to dump them into boiling water, then turn the heat off, and they can then soak for much less; this also fails in my experiments. I believe that dry beans have to soak a long time cold because you want them to actually start to sprout. (I know from experimenting that dry beans are still alive and can be planted.) I think, like malt grain in beer making, they need to start to activate so they make the enzymes that are going to turn all the starch to sugar; then when you slow cook it, those enzymes work and break everything down a lot more. Also, I think if you cook on a wood stove you will find that too hot is more of a problem. Keeping an even simmering temperature requires constant attention.