Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Food, Drink and Cooking What are you making/having for dinner tonight?

If you're using a pressure cooker you don't have to soak them, but I would and I do. I'd guess that you'd have to soak them for a slow cooker. However, for a quick soak for a pressure cooker(Kuhn Rikon's recipe guide):The above is for a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker, so you'd adapt it to your own brand. As I said, I soak the beans overnight. You don't have to soak lentils and split peas.

Pressure cooking saves a lot of time- 1/2-1/3 conventional cooking methods. After soaking the beans overnight or else for at least 8 hours, I rinse the beans, cover with water (3 cups for each cup of dried beans that have been soaked), and don't fill the pan more than 1/2, including liquid. You can add vegetable oil to the liquid to prevent foaming. Shake the pressure cooker slightly before removing the lid.

If you soak the beans overnight, add salt (1 tsp/1 lb dried beans- approx. 2 cups). It toughens the skin and keeps the bean intact. Some beans, such as favas and soybeans, should be soaked overnight, but don't require salt. You may also want to add salt to large lima beans when soaking overnight because the skins loosen during re-hydration.

I have seen pressure cookers, but I have never used one. But it sounds very intriguing.

Thanks for the tips, Joe. I'll try them for sure.

So even though most cookbooks and chefs say don't add salt for seasoning until the beans are done or nearly done, it's ok to soak them in salt.
I always thought (for some reason can't remember why now) that salt breaks them down.

Ive been thinking of getting into beans and chickpeas lately to expand the range of my diet.

any suggestions?

1) I bought a pressure cooker as a result of an earlier conversation here. I don't use it often but when I do, I'm glad I have it, and it was worth the money. NOT scary at all (yes, Mom's was frightening!) And yes, fairly heavy.

2) I love the flavor and texture of chickpeas but don't have a a lot of recipes for them - there's only so much hummus one person can eat! So I'd be happy to get chickpea/garbanzo recipes.

3) Rick - would love to see the whole risotto recipe.

Let it remain intriguing, and stick with the steamers and crock pots if you don't already have a pressure cooker. You can buy a lot of excellent beef for a stew in a crockpot or fish and shellfish for a Bouillabaisse. I've used pressure cookers for 30 some odd years and they're second nature, especially for vegetables (1-2 minutes cooking time). I like them because they're convenient.

Do whatever works. I don't add salt to my beans when soaking. I do, however, add salt and other seasonings -ham hocks, garlic, onion, whatever- when cooking them. I got the add salt to maintain their bean integrity tip from a pressure cooker manual. I can assure you that when I soak beans overnight- within the week- that I'll add the salt just to see what happens and if I notice any difference.

Thank you, Joe. I have two steamers and two crockpots. I think I'll stick with those for now.

And last night we ate a rotisserie chicken from Publix, an avocado and a salad.

EmmaG

First, do you like beans and do they agree with you? If so, find someone (not necessarily a vegetarian)who cooks with beans a lot or has a special bean dish and see if you can get them to disclose their recipes. Beans are supposedly good for you and economical, so why not expand your diet to include them?