Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site panda.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!rep
From: rep@panda.UUCP (Pete Peterson)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: dried beans
Message-ID: <1004@panda.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-Oct-85 09:24:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: panda.1004
Posted: Tue Oct 15 09:24:37 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Oct-85 20:01:41 EDT
References: <221@well.UUCP>
Reply-To: rep@panda.UUCP (Pete Peterson)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 19
Keywords: beans

In article <221@well.UUCP> jayr@well.UUCP (Jay Roth) writes:
>I recently decided to start making chili from dried beans (instead of store-
>bought canned beans).  I soaked the beans overnight (3:1   water:beans).
>In the morning the beans looked fine.  If I'd followed directions, I would
>have then simmered the beans (+ liquid) for 2 hours.  I decided that I
>would combine the simmering time with the chili cooking time.  3-4 hours
>later the beans were still hard.  Did I do something wrong?

Did you keep the beans and soaking water and just add the other ingredients
or did you get rid of the soaking water.  The beans absorb almost that much
water when they cook.  You may not have had enough water to soften the beans.

If you have a pressure cooker you can do beans fairly quickly without soaking.
I do pinto beans for at 15 lbs pressure for 45 minutes + cooling time or you
can do them for a few minutes longer and cool them down quickly if you're in
a hurry.  Add a tablespoon or two of cooking oil to the beans to inhibit
foaming which could clog the cooker vent and don't overfill the cooker.

		pete peterson