4 ms·

Have you tried cooking dry beans? It is really easy and cheaper than canned. I bring them to a boil, can the water and then put them in the oven. They last for

by glibgil 12y ago

Have you tried cooking dry beans? It is really easy and cheaper than canned. I bring them to a boil, can the water and then put them in the oven. They last for days in the fridge.

FranOntanaya 12y ago
Last batch of dry beans I prepared I started to wonder if it's really cheaper for me to pay for the energy needed to cook them well versus just quickly heating a can. Fresh beans though are definitely great, and with homegrown ones you can cook the pods too.
- dgrant 12y ago
  If you use a pressure cooker, it takes less energy apparently. The more energy efficient method would be to pre-soak them for a long time, then cook on a pressure cooker (on low heat, hot enough for the pressure cooker to keep at full pressure though...but it doesn't take much heat to do that). I have a Hawkins classic pressure cooker. Apparently the Hawkins Futura line is even more efficient.
- tunesmith 12y ago
  Hmm, 6-qt Fagor Duo pressure cooker, $85. Dried black beans, $1 - $2/pound. Can 15oz black beans containing 1 1/3 cup drained beans, about $2. 2 cups dried beans yields 5-6 cups cooked drained beans. 1 pound dried beans = 2 cups dried beans. Rinsed, un-presoaked black beans cooking time: 25 minutes, after maybe 5-6 minutes of bringing it to boil and reaching pressure level. Cooking time for can of beans: 5 minutes.
  - adsfasdf23f23f 12y ago
    Isn't cook time usually closer to 55 minutes after pressure?
    - tunesmith 12y ago
      I did two cups in my Fagor Duo last night at 25 minutes - they turned out great.
- ska 12y ago
  Aside from the pressure cooker comments elsewhere... Dry beans really do need a soak. When you bring a pot full of cold water legumes to a boil (assuming you haven't presoaked over night in cold water) turn them off the heat and let them sit for 1-2 hours. Even though they are off of direct heat, the cooking time is similar to if you had left them boiling that whole time.
dgrant 12y ago
I just bought an Indian pressure cooker which is great for cooking them even faster (can even skip the pre-soak if you want) and uses less energy. So far I've tried "split red lentis", "whole black urad dal", and dried kidney beans. They are super cheap and come in huge bags for $5 or so. 1 cup of these makes many servings. I started making some Indian dals using them. It's a great way to eat them, with tons of Indian spices. The pressure cooker I bought: Hawkins 5L classic: http://www.hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp http://www.hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp
- greenyoda 12y ago
  I'm guessing you already know this, since you're referring to "urad dal" by its native name and buying it in large quantities, but others might not: Here in NYC at least, foods like beans, lentils, rice, spices, etc. are much cheaper when bought in Indian food stores (where they're everyday staples sold in large packages) rather than in regular supermarkets (where they're sold in much smaller packages). There are similarly good deals to be found in Chinese and other ethnic grocery stores.
- talhakhan720 12y ago
  Try white urad dal as well. Personal fav of mine.
- HNJohnC 12y ago
  Google Phytohaemagglutinin and you will realize why you don't want to skip the pre-soak, it's for your safety not just for making them faster to cook.
HNJohnC 12y ago
You can get seriously ill cooking and eating dried beans from Phytohaemagglutinin if you don't do it right. Beans like most seeds contain specific toxins that are aimed directly at mammals to prevent them from being eaten. This is why you can't eat just about any seed in quantity without processing it; they don't want to be eaten and conduct chemical warfare to prevent it. Even once processed you are still getting a huge amount of toxins, just not enough to be sick enough to notice. I don't know why anyone eats beans, ignorance I guess. Beans are also loaded with carbohydrates, peeled potatoes are a much safer source of starch if you just want to load up on starch.

by glibgil 12y ago

Have you tried cooking dry beans? It is really easy and cheaper than canned. I bring them to a boil, can the water and then put them in the oven. They last for days in the fridge.

FranOntanaya 12y ago

Last batch of dry beans I prepared I started to wonder if it's really cheaper for me to pay for the energy needed to cook them well versus just quickly heating a can. Fresh beans though are definitely great, and with homegrown ones you can cook the pods too.

dgrant 12y ago
If you use a pressure cooker, it takes less energy apparently. The more energy efficient method would be to pre-soak them for a long time, then cook on a pressure cooker (on low heat, hot enough for the pressure cooker to keep at full pressure though...but it doesn't take much heat to do that). I have a Hawkins classic pressure cooker. Apparently the Hawkins Futura line is even more efficient.
tunesmith 12y ago
Hmm, 6-qt Fagor Duo pressure cooker, $85. Dried black beans, $1 - $2/pound. Can 15oz black beans containing 1 1/3 cup drained beans, about $2. 2 cups dried beans yields 5-6 cups cooked drained beans. 1 pound dried beans = 2 cups dried beans. Rinsed, un-presoaked black beans cooking time: 25 minutes, after maybe 5-6 minutes of bringing it to boil and reaching pressure level. Cooking time for can of beans: 5 minutes.
- adsfasdf23f23f 12y ago
  Isn't cook time usually closer to 55 minutes after pressure?
  - tunesmith 12y ago
    I did two cups in my Fagor Duo last night at 25 minutes - they turned out great.
ska 12y ago
Aside from the pressure cooker comments elsewhere... Dry beans really do need a soak. When you bring a pot full of cold water legumes to a boil (assuming you haven't presoaked over night in cold water) turn them off the heat and let them sit for 1-2 hours. Even though they are off of direct heat, the cooking time is similar to if you had left them boiling that whole time.

dgrant 12y ago

I just bought an Indian pressure cooker which is great for cooking them even faster (can even skip the pre-soak if you want) and uses less energy. So far I've tried "split red lentis", "whole black urad dal", and dried kidney beans. They are super cheap and come in huge bags for $5 or so. 1 cup of these makes many servings. I started making some Indian dals using them. It's a great way to eat them, with tons of Indian spices. The pressure cooker I bought: Hawkins 5L classic: http://www.hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp http://www.hawkinscookers.com/1.1.1.hawkinsclassic.asp

greenyoda 12y ago
I'm guessing you already know this, since you're referring to "urad dal" by its native name and buying it in large quantities, but others might not: Here in NYC at least, foods like beans, lentils, rice, spices, etc. are much cheaper when bought in Indian food stores (where they're everyday staples sold in large packages) rather than in regular supermarkets (where they're sold in much smaller packages). There are similarly good deals to be found in Chinese and other ethnic grocery stores.
talhakhan720 12y ago
Try white urad dal as well. Personal fav of mine.
HNJohnC 12y ago
Google Phytohaemagglutinin and you will realize why you don't want to skip the pre-soak, it's for your safety not just for making them faster to cook.

HNJohnC 12y ago

You can get seriously ill cooking and eating dried beans from Phytohaemagglutinin if you don't do it right. Beans like most seeds contain specific toxins that are aimed directly at mammals to prevent them from being eaten. This is why you can't eat just about any seed in quantity without processing it; they don't want to be eaten and conduct chemical warfare to prevent it. Even once processed you are still getting a huge amount of toxins, just not enough to be sick enough to notice. I don't know why anyone eats beans, ignorance I guess. Beans are also loaded with carbohydrates, peeled potatoes are a much safer source of starch if you just want to load up on starch.