Cooking Beans

When cooking beans or legumes from their dry state, this is the general rule of thumb.  Fill a large bowl or pot with cold water and beans and let soak overnight. Water should cover beans by a couple inches.  

In the morning, drain and rinse the beans.  When ready to cook, combine the beans with the appropriate amount of water or stock in a large pot.  Bring the water to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for appropriate time.  Drain when done and you have ready-to-use beans!

1 cup dry	Soak Overnight and Rinse Well	Cups of Water or Stock	Cook Time (hrs)	Cups Produced
Aduki beans		3	2	2
Anasazi beans		4	1.5	2
Baby Lima beans		2	1.5	1.75
Black beans		4	2	2
Black-eyed peas	NO	3	1	2
Chickpeas		4	3	2.5
Cranberry beans		3	1.5	2.5
Fava beans		3	3	2
Great Northern beans		3.5	2	2
Kidney beans		3	1.5	2
Lentils	NO	3	.75	2.25
Mung beans		2.5	1.5	2
Navy Beans		3	2.5	2
Pigeon beans		3	.5	2.25
Pink beans		4	1.5	2
Pinto beans		3	2.5	2
Red beans		3	3	2
Soy beans		4	2.5	3
Split peas	NO	3	.75	2.25

A note on toxins found in red kidney beans! Make sure to soak them at least 12 hours and boil vigorously for 10 minutes before simmering or putting in a crockpot. Canned beans have already undergone this process.

To quick-soak: Dried beans should be soaked in cold water overnight to ensure even cooking. But if you don't have the time, here's what you do:

Rinse beans in cold water. Put them in a large pot and cover with about 3 inches of cold water. Bring almost to a boil (small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot), cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain. The beans will be "soaked" and ready to cook.

Crockpot: You can also cook beans in a crockpot instead of on the stove. Generally, high for 3-4 hrs or low for 6-8 hours works well, but check around for specific times. This is a great post on cooking beans in a crockpot and whether or not to soak.