Cooked Dried Beans - Cooks Illustrated
photo by averybird
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 5
- Yields:
-
3 cups
- Serves:
- 4
ingredients
- 1⁄2 lb dried beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 garlic cloves, whole
- 7 cups water
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons table salt
directions
- Bring peas or bean, bay leaf, garlic, and water to simmer in large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, until beans are just tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in salt, cover, and let beans stand until completely tender, about 15 minutes.
- Drain, reserve cooking liquid, and discard bay leaf and garlic.
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Reviews
-
Another winner from Cook's Illustrated! These beans are so flavorful, the difference from canned beans is astounding. I also like how the beans completely soften but do not fall apart (i.e. the skin stays in tact). On the C.I. website there is an article called "Dried Beans 101" that mentions you can presoak the beans in a "brine" of 3 Tbsp salt to 4 Quarts of water overnight (then rinse thoroughly to remove any salt, and proceed with this recipe using fresh water). This helps to soften the beans if you have mineral-rich hard tap water. Not sure if there is a difference flavor-wise, but I used the brine and my beans came out great! Just thought I would pass that along. Thanks LaJuneBug!