[jldecarlo]

My thoughts:

1) Soaking overnight is not essential, although it is preferable. You can bring to a boil and then drain and let sit for an hour or two.

2) IMO the best way to cook beans is in a Dutch Oven (Le Crueset, ? spelling) at about 225 degrees in the oven for 6-8 or more hours.

3) Beans are often better the second day, and less gas-ey too.

4) If you want a different taste, try different kinds of bean. Black beans are great. Moros y cristianos (black beans with white rice) is a favorite. Red beans and rice is great. Lentils are awesome. Alton Brown's recipe for Boston Baked beans is wonderful.

L

[jldecarlo]

Also: pressure cookers are great ways to cook dried beans much faster. As fast as 1 hour.

L

[ipgyst]

[I could use a nice dutch oven and a pressure cooker. Must keep that in mind.]

Today I made some pinto beans using this recipe:

Crock Pot Pinto Beans

1 lb dried pinto bean, 1/3 cup picante sauce, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (kind in jar is okay), 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 3 bay leaf, 1 cup cooked white rice

Rinse beans in colander and put into crock pot. Cover with water plus about 2 inches extra over top (assume this is a standard round and narrow crock pot). Add all ingredients except rice. Cook on high for about 3 hours, until beans are tender (may also cook on low overnight) - add water if necessary. Cook rice and add. Serve with cornbread.

The results:



The denouement:

I made a double batch. The time of 3 hours was a crock of crap - it took me 8 on high, and a few beans were still a bit undercooked, so it's more like 9. The beans, however, looked marvelous and tasted great. While they cooked, all I could smell was oregano and bay leaves, but after about 6 hours all the smells and flavors blended. I did have to add water from time to time. I used hot salsa and extra chili powder, so these beans have a kick. Tasty tasty.

I also cooked chili and tacos today. There is nothing exciting about ground turkey seasoned with taco spices, so no picture of that is worthwhile, but here's the chili:



I've made this recipe about 20 times. I normally like to break the heck out of my chili meat so I have nice small pieces, like a typical meat sauce. This time I left some bigger chunks in there. I think it came out better.