It’s no secret around this site that I love the bulk bins. My cooking revolves around having a collection of jars and containers full of beans and grains. While there are plenty of instructions about cooking with dried beans (everything from crockpot cooking to pressure cooking them), I prefer the slow (and gadget-free) method: soaking and boiling in a large pot.
Step one: Pick through the beans and pull out any odd ball beans. These often come in a darker color, more shriveled texture, or sometimes in the disguise of a split pea. Give a good rinse.
Step two: place in a large pot and cover with water, lots of water. Then let sit over night or during the day. I often toss the beans in a pot in the morning and then when I get home from work, I’ll cook them up. (On a side note, I’ve also forgotten to cook up the beans and let them sit for 24 hours- no harm done.)
Step three: Drain and rinse one more time, then cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. I’ll start tasting after 30 minutes and go until the beans are soft and the consistency I want.
Step four: Store. Depending on the meal the beans are destined for, I’ll freeze the beans with or without the liquid. If the beans are hummus bound, I’ll save the liquid and use to smooth/thin out the hummus. If I plan on using the beans for salads or curries, I’ll freeze without the liquid. Both freeze well (and I do recommend whipping up a huge batch of beans at a time and freezing-makes meals so much easier!)
Step five: Pull out and thaw what you need! If you store in liquid, it’s best to pull the chickpeas out to let thaw but if storing without liquid, I’ll often chisel out what I need and toss the chickpeas still frozen into the dish I’m making.
So now that you have a huge stock pile of chickpeas in your freezer, pop over to Good Life Eats to get the recipe for this wonderful chickpea smothered potato. It’s the perfect warming meal for a cold winter’s day!
Want more chickpea goodness? Check out a few of my other recipes for chickpeas:
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