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How to Cook Basic Dried Beans

5 from 8 reviews

Ingredients

Scale

Soaking

1 cup beans: chickpeas, white beans, black beans, pinto beans, Gigante beans, etc

3-4 cups water

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Aromatics

½ large peeled yellow onion, cut into large wedges

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3-4 sprigs rosemary, thyme, and/or oregano

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Place the beans in a strainer and pick through, removing any debris you might find. Give the beans a good rinse. Transfer the beans to a jar and cover with water and stir in the salt. Let soak overnight, up to 24 hours.
  • When ready to cook, drain the beans and transfer to a pot. Add enough water to go about 2" above the beans. Add in aromatics and salt. Bring to a boil and let cook for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, reduce the heat to low so that the beans are just below a simmer. Cook the beans until soft, occasionally tasting to reach the right texture. Taste and add more salt if desired. This would also be the time to add any acid-based ingredients. 
  • After cooking, let cool in the pot for about 20 minutes then remove any aromatics. Transfer to a container to finish cooling. Once the beans have cooled, seal and place in the refrigerator. Use within a week.

Keywords: dried beans, how to cook dried beans