There are several different ways to presoak and cook dried beans. Here are a few of the more popular routes:
Slow Soak- This is probably the most widely used method. Put 1 pound of dried beans in a pot with 10 cups of water. Cover and let soak either 6-8 hours or overnight.
Hot Soak- First boil 10 cups of water. Then add 1 pound of dried beans and return to a boil. Cover and remove from heat for about 2 to 3 hours.
Quick Soak- Boil 10 cups of water then add 1 pound of dried beans and return to boil. Let them boil for about 2-3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat for about an hour.
Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)- After soaking the beans, drain and rinse them. If there is any that don’t look good or have floated to the top after soaking, discard them. Add the beans to the slow cooker with fresh water that covers the beans plus another inch. Cover and set the cooker to 8 hours. It is recommended to check at the 4 hour mark and about every hour after, so you can make sure you don’t overcook.
Stovetop- After soaking the beans, drain and rinse them. If there is any that don’t look good or have floated to the top after soaking, discard them. Return to the pot and add enough water to cover the beans plus about ½ -1 inch. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until tender.
Pressure Cooker- After soaking the beans, drain and rinse them. If there is any that don’t look good or have floated to the top after soaking, discard them. Because of the great variance between pressure cooker, you should consult your instruction manual on amounts of water and cooking times. Most of the time, the cooking time is reduced to about 5-15 minutes.
Tips
* Do not add salt while cooking the beans. Salt and acidic items will toughen the beans and make the cooking time greatly increase.
* In summer or warmer climates, when soaking the beans, put in refrigerator. This helps avoid sprouting and fermentation.
*Lentils, Split peas and black eyed peas do not necessarily need to be soaked before cooking since these are softer to begin with.
