A Simple Guide to Cooking Dried Beans From Scratch

Canned beans are convenient, but dried beans cost a fraction of the price and taste noticeably better once you get the hang of cooking them. The process just takes a little planning ahead.

Sort and Rinse Them First

Spread dried beans out on a tray and pick through them for any small stones or debris, which occasionally sneak into bags. Rinse them well before soaking or cooking.

Soak Overnight If You Can

Soaking beans in plenty of water for at least eight hours softens them and cuts down on cooking time significantly. If you forgot to soak ahead, a quick boil for two minutes followed by an hour of resting in the hot water works almost as well.

Don't Salt the Water Too Early

There's an old myth that salting the cooking water toughens beans, but modern testing shows that's not really true, salting early actually helps season them evenly. What does toughen beans is cooking them in acidic liquid, so save the tomatoes or vinegar for after they're fully tender.

Simmer Gently, Don't Boil Hard

A hard boil can cause bean skins to split and fall apart before the inside is fully cooked. A gentle simmer, with the lid slightly ajar, cooks them more evenly over one to two hours depending on the variety.

Cook a Big Batch and Freeze the Extra

Dried beans take roughly the same effort whether you cook one cup or four, so cook a big batch and freeze portions in their own cooking liquid. Frozen cooked beans thaw and reheat just like canned ones, but taste noticeably better.

Know When They're Done

Done beans should be creamy all the way through with no chalky center when you bite into one. If they're still firm in the middle, keep simmering and check every ten minutes or so.