(Photo via Happy Herbivore)
So, I don’t mean to over-hype the information that follows in this post but this is probably the best thing I’ve learned in the past year. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve legit been school for a large part of the past year.
As you know, I’m forever looking for ways to not only eat healthy(ish) but also to cook from scratch as much as possible. Beans are of course a great thing to incorporate into your diet because they are a.) a great meat substitute, b.) chockful of goodness (technical term) and c.) they taste great. The only problem is that the easiest way to consume beans is from a can and aren’t we all a bit freaked out about BPA? At various points in life I’ve bought dried beans but I could never quite get them too cook up as great as the stuff you get out of a can plus you have to pre-soak them.
Enter new cooking method.
Earlier this year I wanted to make beans and I’m not quite sure what I was looking for but I stumbled upon this great post from The Kitchn. It introduced me to the idea of cooking my beans in the oven in a dutch oven. Now y’all know that I love my Le Creuset so any excuse to use it is good with me. Plus cooking things in the oven is usually a “set it and forget it” situation. Double. Win.
My first foray into oven beans was with black beans. I didn’t pre-soak them, I just threw them in the pot with some salt and some garlic and let them cook in the oven for just over an hour. They turned out perfectly! Soft and creamy and the beans were intact. I couldn’t have asked for more perfect beans. Next up was making pigeon peas for Jamaican rice and peas. This time around I seasoned the beans even more adding scallions, thyme, scotch bonnets and even coconut cream. Again, my beans turned out perfectly and all I had to do was add the rice and let everything cook together. I’ve made cannelini beans, kidney beans, chickpeas etc. and they’ve all turned out perfectly.
Are you sold? Here’s the method:
Heat the oven to 325°. Put about 1 pound of beans in a 3-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add salt and enough water to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Cover with the lid and cook for 75 minutes. Check the beans and stir them. If they are cooked through (eg. tender), remove from oven. If they aren’t done, put them back in for 15 minute intervals until they are, adding a cup of hot water if they seem to be drying out. Entire process should take between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
BOOM! That’s it.
Make beans, not war.
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So. I’m not YET a Le Creuset owner nor do I own any clay pots. Can you suggest something inexpensive that I could also use to cook my beans in? I’m the type of cook that, when I try something and fail, I won’t ever touch that ingredient again. I tried cooking beans in my very first year of my marriage – he didn’t cook so I had to learn quick! – and burned a pot of dry beans. The stench in my flat remained for days. I haven’t touched dry beans since, but thanks to you, I might just try!