Need help with dried red beans.?

Question

When i try to cook the beans they alway turn out wrong, either too dry still or they taste like water, and sometimes alittle of both. i have soaked them over night, then cooked them as it says on the package, but they never turn out right. can someone help me??

Answer 1

Okay - soak your beans overnight. The next day - drain the beans and throw that water away. Now put your beans in the pot, cover with fresh water by about 2 inches. Add at least a teaspoon of salt and some salt pork, ham or bacon, black pepper and if you like it a little bit spicy - add a little bit of crushed red peppers. Then bring to a boil. Once they are at a rolling boil, cover your beans and cut back the heat to just above a simmer. Continue to check the beans, stir them and if need be - add some more water - until they have reached the point where they are tender ( you will have to taste one). At that point adjust your seasonings again (you may need to add more salt).

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Dried beans are a tough product to handle. They usually do not fly off the shelf hence they are not very fresh. Believe it or not some DRIED beans are fresher than others. The longer the Length of time they are in this dry state the longer they take to cook and vice versa.

Cooking dried beans is an art and a tad more complicated then it should be. I stick with a good quality canned brand because you will always have consistency. If you are dead set against canned then experiment. Bagged beans are usually pretty inexpensive...buy a couple bags and test out different ways to prepare them. When you find one that works use that method every time.

Answer 3

You get better at cooking by practicing, just keep working on it. I soak the beans either all night or all day and I really don't have any set measuring amount of water to beans. I just toss the beans in the pan after draining them, fill the pan with some water and just eyeball it and start boiling. I do keep a watch on them and about when I think they may be about finished, I test them for doneness. But, I have to tell you, sometimes things turn out good and sometimes they don't, that's the way it goes for me, burn a pan here or there, burn up some food, forget I left something in the oven, oh well.

Answer 4

Try this
1 pound beans any kind will work
1 1/2 quarts water
1 large onion
1 medium bell pepper
1 pound smoked pork sausage not pan sausage
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes use fresh if you want to chop it up
dash of garlic powder not garlic salt
bring to boil reduce heat to medium low salt and pepper to taste cover cook for about 3 to 4 hours stirring every once in a while add water as needed. cook till beans are soft if juice is not thick enough mash a few of the beans with a large spoon.

Answer 5

Soak the beans overnight like you have been doing, get about a pound and a half of ham ends and pieces, I large onion and some Tony's seasoning, Heat a table spoon of olive oil in an 8 qt. pot, add chopped up onion,and ham pieces, saute until the onion pieces start to wilt add the beans and enough water about 1and 1/2 inches below the top of the pot, add 1 tablespoon on the Tony's and bring to a boil , reduce heat to a simmer and cook until beans are tender and soft, serve with rice or cornbread,, very good !!!!!!!!!!

Answer 6

i do all kinds of dried beans in my crock pot. i soak the dried beans in the crock pot overnight and then turn them on at the low temperature in the morning. sometimes i will add a little onion and ham pieces (the grocery store sells those packages of already cut-up cubes of ham) to the beans. i let them cook all day, sometimes as much as 12 hours. the beans are always good this way. they are very soft and mushy, but that is how i like them.

Answer 7

you have to cook them so long -or better,-to the point they start to leave out their starch. You understand ,when the cooking water starts to get a little thick. Some kind of beans - white or red- need more cooking time than written on the package.