I spent 3 hours trying to cook dry beans without soaking them first

I bought a bag of dried pinto beans thinking I could just boil them and have dinner in an hour. Three hours later they were still hard as rocks and I was eating cereal for dinner. Is pre-soaking really worth the extra planning or do you just accept the long cook time?

2 comments

2 Comments

wrenh792d ago

Used to be on team "just boil em longer" until I tried making black beans for a chili. After four hours on medium heat they were still crunchy and the pot was almost dry. Soaked a fresh batch overnight the next time and they were perfect in 90 minutes. The texture is way better too, not all blown out and mushy on the outside while the inside is still tough. Soaking is a pain but it saves you time and gas in the long run.

bailey.sandra2d ago

Wait, @wrenh79 have you tried skipping the soak and doing a quick boil method instead? You bring the beans and water to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then take them off the heat and let them sit covered for an hour. It gets the same even texture as an overnight soak without having to plan ahead. I do that for black beans all the time and they come out tender in about 45 minutes after that, no crunch left behind. Just saves me from forgetting to soak the night before.

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