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Note: Lentils, split peas and black-eyed peas do not need to be soaked.
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Pick through the beans, discarding any discolored or shriveled beans or any foreign matter.
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Rinse well.
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Traditional Slow Soak: In a 5-quart saucepan, cover 1 pound dried beans with 10 cups water.
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Cover tightly and refrigerate 6-8 hours or overnight.
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Drain and rinse the beans.
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Hot Soak: In a 5-quart saucepan, bring 10 cups water to a boil.
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Add 1 pound dried beans and return to a boil.
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Remove from the heat; cover tightly and set aside at room temperature 2-3 hours.
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Drain and rinse the beans.
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Quick Soak: In a 5-quart saucepan, bring 10 cups water to a boil.
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Add 1 pound dried beans and return to a boil; let boil 2-3 minutes.
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Cover tightly and set aside at room temperature 1 hour.
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Drain and rinse the beans.
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Gas-Free Soak: (The best method for gas-free beans, developed by the California Dry Bean Advisory Board.) In a 5-quart sauce- pan, place 1 pound of beans in 10 or more cups of boiling water; boil for 2-3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight.
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By morning, 75 to 90 percent of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water.
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Drain, then rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking them.
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COOKING BEANS: When cooking beans, do not add salt or acidic ingredients, like vinegar, tomatoes or juice- which slow the cooking substantially; add these ingredients when the beans are just tender.
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Cooking times vary with the types of beans used but also may vary with their age.
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Beans are done when they can be easily mashed between two fingers or with a fork.
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Always test a few beans in case they have not cooked evenly.
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Return the soaked, rinsed beans to the 5-quart saucepan.
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Cover the beans with 3 times their volume of water.
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Add herbs or spices (not salt), as desired.
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Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender (the time will depend on the type of bean, but start checking after 45-60 minutes).
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Do not boil them since this will break the skins.
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Check the level of the water and add more if it gets low.
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When the beans are tender, drain and use in recipes; or for later use, immerse them in cold water until cool, then drain well and freeze in 1- to 2-cup packages.
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One pound of dried beans will yield about 5 or 6 cups cooked beans.
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PRESSURE COOKING: This is one of the quickest ways to cook beans.
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After you've soaked 1/2 pound of beans, place them in a 4-quart pressure cooker with 4 cups water.
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Cook at 15 pounds pressure following the manufacturer's directions for the type of legume you are cooking.
