The BEST way to cook dry beans!

I cannot believe how quickly the summer went by!  As much as I enjoyed it, I am very thankful to be back at school and our "usual" schedule.  I am so ready to begin baking bread again . . . some how we were so busy during the summer that "quick" meals were the norm.  Last week was the first time I have had my pressure cooker out in months, which means we haven't had dry beans in a while.  I thought I would share with you my dry bean recipe.

For me the quickest, easiest way to prepare beans is in the pressure cooker.  No soaking overnight or cooking all day long.  I can start supper as late as 4 o'clock.


Simply rinse 2 cups of beans and check for rocks, etc.  Place the cooking rack on the bottom of the pot.  Add the beans to the pressure cooker with 3 quarts of water.  Add 2 teaspoons of salt and one onion peeled and quartered.  Place the lid on and slide into lock position.  Place the pressure regulator on top, set the pot on the stove top on high.  When the regulator begins a regular rhythm, I turn down the heat to medium (the regulator at a steady rocking motion) and start my timer.  For black beans - 35 minutes, for pinto beans - 25 minutes.  I follow my instruction booklet for the times of different kinds of beans.  When the timer goes off, I turn the stove off and let the pressure drop of its own accord.  Then I tweek them - see my Black Bean recipe below.

Now I will confess that there have been times when I have been in a hurry (can you imagine - heehee) and I have "encouraged" the pressure to drop faster.  Usually that means I set the pot in the sink and run cool water over it until the air vent/cover lock drops.  But you cannot beat the pressure cooking method for convenience.  I love it!

Black Bean Recipe -

To pot of pressure cooked black beans I add granulated garlic to taste (for me that is a lot!!!), oregano, and about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Olive oil.  I let this simmer until thick.  Of course, if I can't wait on the thickening I have also been known to help that along with some cornstarch and water :D   Serve over rice.

Frijoles negros as my Grams taught me how to make them - YUMMY!

Beyond the Basics ~ Beans and Rice

Once you feel like you have gotten started on this journey, it won't be long before you begin to wonder - okay, what else should I be storing?  Some of the easiest staples to store in bulk are beans and rice, and with these come a wide variety.  What kind of beans does your family like?  For us it would be black turtle beans, pinto beans, and small red beans.  I also have on hand some kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils.  While we are here let me just tell you that you want to be sure and store beans that your family will EAT.  Frankly, my gang does not care much for kidney beans, for that matter neither do I.  We may store those kidney beans for a long time yet :).  You get the point!!

This is a good place to tell you also that brown rice does not store as long as white rice.  Brown rice has more nutritional value because all that has been removed from it is the outer hull.  Brown rice still has the germ and bran, so consequently it can spoil faster.  We try not to store brown rice in our home for more than 6 months.  After that time it has a tendency to take on a rancid smell.  White rice, on the other hand, can be stored for a LONG time.  White rice usually has the bran and germ removed as well as being polished, so that its nutritional value plummets.  Although white rice has little nutritional value, I do store it in case of emergency.  I prefer to use brown rice, but I have been known to use white rice when I am pinched for time ;D !

For a great article on the benefits of brown rice visit World's Healthiest Foods.

For a great article on the many different varieties of rice visit The Rice Gourmet.

I would also like to mention a few of the books that I have on cooking with beans and bulk storage:














Have fun exploring all your options!!!