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How to cook beans correctly

Beans are an essential food for many people. Even vegetarians never exclude legumes from their menu. All legumes are an excellent source of protein. Therefore, many dishes are prepared from beans and beans during Lent. But many housewives do not know how to cook beans so that they do not become overcooked. The Land of Soviets will tell you how to cook beans.

Why do beans take so long to cook?

Boiled beans are great as a side dish for meat and fish. It can be served as a separate dish, or in combination with other boiled or raw vegetables, and also add to vegetable soup or make a puree soup out of it. In any case, beans have a good taste and satisfy hunger perfectly.

However, raw or undercooked beans should not be eaten. The fact is that beans contain toxic glycosides that can cause severe poisoning. This is not such a rare case; many vegetables and fruits contain some amount toxic substances- potatoes, radishes, radishes, mustard, almonds, peaches, pears, plums and even apples and cherries. But the glycosides contained in beans can be removed only in one way - by dissolving them in boiling water. Therefore, you should not eat raw pods or the beans themselves - to eat, the beans must be cooked until fully cooked.

Before the beans are cooked, they are soaked in water for a long time. Pre-soaking beans in water not only speeds up their cooking. Carbohydrates in beans are contained in the form of oligosaccharides, which are very poorly absorbed by our body. It is oligosaccharides that cause gas formation and flatulence, which is why many people refuse to eat beans altogether. But during soaking, they dissolve and no longer cause harm to the digestion process.

Note! One-fifth of beans consists of protein; only meat contains more protein. In addition, beans are an excellent source of copper, zinc, potassium and phosphorus, as well as many vitamins - A, B, C, K, PP and E. But the most important difference between beans and other vegetables is that everything they contain useful substances are completely preserved during heat treatment. There is simply no other such wonderful vegetable.

How to cook beans correctly so that they always turn out delicious?

Stage 1 - soak the beans

For soaking beans, take twice as much water by weight as beans.

Do not forget that the beans are soaked for 8-10 hours. It is not advisable to leave beans in water for more than 10 hours, as the fermentation process may begin. By the way, it is advisable to change the water in which you soak the beans every 3.5 hours.

Beans greatly increase in size when soaked, so the water level should be 5 cm above the beans themselves. Under no circumstances should you cook beans in the water in which they were soaked - drain the water, rinse the beans again and add fresh water for cooking.

Note! If for some reason you forgot to soak the beans, there is a way to at least partially correct the situation. Boil the beans for 3 minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Leave the beans in the water in which they were boiled for 1 hour. During this time, the beans will steam and become suitable for further processing.

How to cook beans

Stage 2 - cook the beans

Fill the beans with water until it barely covers the top and place over low heat. Both the beans should boil and cook slowly - do not allow them to boil too much, the fire should remain low throughout the cooking time.

Do not cover the pan with a lid - the beans foam when boiling and can run away like milk. In addition, red beans, if cooked under a lid, will change color and acquire an ugly brown tint.

You should not stir the beans while cooking if you want them not to fall apart. But if you are making pureed bean soup, stir as much as you like.

While cooking beans, constantly monitor the water level: the beans themselves absorb a lot of water, but a lot of it also evaporates, because your pan is not covered with anything. Add water as it boils.

Note! So how long does it take to cook beans? If the beans are not soaked overnight, they will need to be cooked for 3-4 hours. After soaking, this time is halved. Large beans take longer to cook than small ones. Some white beans cook very quickly, usually within an hour, but for the chali variety, 40 minutes is enough. Red and variegated beans cook for quite a long time, about 1.5-2 hours. American large beans will take the longest to cook - about 2.5 hours.

What to do if you need to cook beans quickly?

There are several ways you can cook beans quickly.

For instant cooking beans use a constant temperature difference. Bring the beans to a boil and add half a glass of cold water. During cooking cold water top up a few more times, every 5 minutes of boiling. Remember that the beans should be cooked over low heat.
While soaking, add salt to the water - 2 level teaspoons per liter of water. Soak the beans in this brine not for 8 hours, but for a day, but be sure to put them in the refrigerator. These beans will cook much faster than usual, but keep in mind that even when cooked they will remain tough. This method is used only if beans are needed for salad or for preparing beans for the winter.
You can also add baking soda when soaking. This will significantly speed up the cooking of the beans, but will make them less healthy than when cooked by other methods.
Speeds up cooking by adding dry beans to the pan. seaweed kelp. For 2 cups of beans, 1 sheet of kelp measuring 10 by 10 cm is enough. After the beans are cooked, the kelp should be thrown away.

How can you tell if beans are already cooked?

Readiness is easy to determine. The main sign of beans being ready is their softness.

Western restaurants use the so-called “three bean system.” To tell if the beans are ready, three beans are removed from the pan. All three beans are tasted. If they are all soft, then the beans are ready. If at least one of them is not cooked, you should continue cooking the beans. After 15 minutes, you need to try three beans again. This way you will know for sure that your beans are ready.

Another way is this. Remove two or three beans from the pan, place them on a dry spoon and blow hard on them. If the skin cracks, the beans are ready.

Little secrets of cooking beans

There are several tricks on how to cook beans to make them tasty. We hope these little secrets are useful to you.

How to cook white beans

Video tip on how to cook beans quickly: another way to speed up the cooking of beans

By following these tips, you can easily prepare delicious beans. After all, now you know how to cook beans.

One of my friends leads healthy image life and eats only healthy foods. Every time I look at her, I ask myself the same question: is it really possible to live like this: without, fried potatoes, delicious cutlets and cakes? It turns out that it is possible, at least she succeeds.

One of the most healthy products my wise friend is counting beans. It would seem, what is special about this representative of legumes? But, having scoured the Internet, I found a lot interesting information, according to which my girlfriend is very smart. Now I'll tell you why.

Beans contain a huge amount of useful and nutrients, which allow a person who eats only beans every day to function normally, since the body will receive everything it needs. Agree, this fact makes beans very valuable. It has been used in cooking for a very long time.

Many of us are skeptical about this representative of legumes, because rarely does anyone manage to cook tasty beans, and the “musical and aromatic” properties of legumes are widely known. But it turns out that all this is a consequence of improper preparation.

After what has been said, the next question arises: how to cook beans correctly?

Indeed, how should you cook it so that it not only spoils the taste of the dish, but also preserves its beneficial components?

How to cook beans correctly: selecting and preparing beans for the cooking process

How to cook beans correctly: cooking process, cooking time

Pour the washed beans with water (two and a half liters of water are needed per kilogram of beans), put on the stove and bring to a boil, drain the water after a quarter of an hour. Rinse the beans and fill them with water again, put on fire. After the water boils, turn the heat to minimum and cook the contents of the pan for about two hours. The pan must be covered with a lid.

How to cook beans correctly: nuances

To make the dish more tasty, you can add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil during cooking.
To cook beans, it is better to use purified water rather than tap water.
There is no need to stir the contents of the pan during cooking.
The finished beans are discarded in a colander.
The bean dish is salted at the very end of cooking, and if bean puree is supposed to be prepared, then after the vegetable takes on a puree-like appearance.
Freshly frozen beans do not need to be thawed; they are thrown into water while frozen and cooked.
Undercooked beans can be dangerous to the body, so completing the cooking process is not a whim, but a necessary condition!

There are times when you need to cook beans, but there is no time for soaking. As is clear from the above, the soaking process reduces cooking time. What to do if time is short, how to cook beans quickly, under time pressure? In this case, the cleaned and washed beans are placed in a pan and filled with enough water to lightly cover the beans. When the water boils, you need to add cold water - just enough so that the water with the beans stops boiling. This process (add cold water and wait for it to boil again) must be repeated until the beans are ready. This is believed to cut the cooking process in half. This is the answer to the question

Beans are a great product. According to nutritionists, any of its varieties are good because they are a source of easily digestible protein, which is not much inferior to proteins of animal origin. For this valuable quality, this product is especially loved by vegetarians and those who periodically adhere to the rules of fasting.

From the point of view of culinary specialists and lovers of delicious food, beans are generally irreplaceable, since without them it is impossible to prepare many dishes, for example, lobio, borscht, vinaigrette. However, this is an important ingredient for less famous dishes as well. Salads, soups, main courses, casseroles, pates, etc. - thousands of recipes.

And for all this to turn out delicious, you cannot do without the secrets of preparing this legume. An experienced housewife must navigate all this.

Each type of bean has its own characteristics, so for convenience we will deal with them separately. We won’t divide into varieties – there are several hundred of them, so we’ll focus on the main types. The most commonly used are white and red. Green beans come separately.

Secrets of cooking white beans

The most common type is white varieties. Personally, I also like to deal with them. They cook faster, boil better, and the outer shell is very thin and is practically not noticeable in food. White beans are ideal for borscht, soup, and puree.

You will have to boil any beans, except, of course, canned ones. How to cook white wine correctly?

First you need to soak the washed beans - 4-6 hours is enough. Pour 1 part beans into 3 parts warm water, cover with a lid and simply leave on the table.

Afterwards, drain this water and wash the beans themselves several times. Now let's move on to cooking. If soups or borscht are planned, then the beans can be placed in a pan with broth 1-1.5 hours before the end of cooking. For a side dish or in a salad, white beans should be cooked for no longer than 1 hour to prevent them from becoming overcooked.

Don't forget that any legumes should be salted at the very end, otherwise they will be tough.

Is it possible and how to cook white beans dry, without soaking? Yes, it really is possible, but the cooking time will have to be increased 3 times. Moreover, it is better to drain the first water after boiling and pour fresh cold water over the beans.

By the way, a little trick: do not cover the pan with a lid while cooking and the beans will not darken!

Cooking red beans

Red varieties, like brown and black ones, have a denser outer shell. Therefore, they will have to cook longer. Such varieties are more suitable for salads, lobio, that is, for those dishes where it is important to keep the beans intact.

Because of this feature, red is almost impossible to cook without soaking. And it’s better to keep it in water longer – 8-10 hours. If you are afraid that fermentation will begin, hide it in the refrigerator. Ideally, the soaking water should be changed three times. The ratio of dry beans and water is 1 to 3.

After soaking, add fresh water and cook for 1.5-2 hours. The only way to check whether the beans are ready is by taste - visually assessing readiness is difficult even for the most for experienced housewives. You need to try at least 3 things - sometimes some are already cooked, and some need another 5-10 minutes.

By the way, it is not advisable to stir the beans during cooking, especially if they are intended for a salad or side dish.

Look detailed video instructions about proper soaking and cooking:

Green beans

Capsicum or black Eyed Peas is radically different from the usual one, because it is eaten when the beans have just begun to form. Accordingly, it contains less protein, but more different vitamins.

Before cooking, it is also important to choose it correctly. Asparagus can be different in color, not necessarily green. There are even purple varieties. Their size can also vary, for example, cowpea pods reach 90 cm! By the way, ripened cowpeas are known as black eye beans, a variety that can be cooked without soaking.

What is mandatory for asparagus is the absence of a hard inner shell and hair in the pod. It's easy to check - break the pod in half.

It is clear that these varieties do not need to be soaked - just boiled. Correctly, asparagus beans are prepared like this:

wash the pods, dry them a little, remove the noses and tails;
cut into suitable pieces;
immerse in salted boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes;
Place in a colander and rinse under running cold water.

After that green beans can be served as a side dish. If we stew or fry it in the future, then reduce the cooking time by 2 times.

Frozen asparagus is no less popular than fresh. Freezing has virtually no effect on the taste and beneficial properties, but lovers of delicate pods like me get the opportunity to enjoy their favorite foods all year round. It’s even easier to prepare frozen - directly from the freezer, put the required amount into boiling water and after 5-7 minutes from the moment of boiling you can turn it off.

How to cook quickly

There are some secrets that can speed up the cooking process.

The first method is very simple - you need to add a pinch of regular soda.

The second method is more difficult, but it allows you to reduce the time by almost 2 times! Fill the beans cold water, 5 minutes after boiling, pour in 100 ml ice water. And we do this until it is cooked.

To learn about the third method, watch a short one-minute video:

Beans and kitchen gadgets

You can quickly cook beans using a microwave. The process consists of 3 stages. First, fill the soaked beans with fresh water and place in the microwave oven for 10 minutes at the highest temperature. high power. Then we take it out, mix it and send it back for 15-20 minutes, but the power is already average. Then we take it out again, add salt, add spices if desired, mix again and, covering with a lid, let it brew for 5-7 minutes.

It will not be possible to speed up the process in a multicooker, unless your model also includes a pressure cooker. But cooking beans this way is very convenient in any case. It is enough to add the soaked beans, add the required amount of water and set the appropriate mode. Usually it is “Stew” or “Soup”.

Is it necessary to soak?

Let's look at why soaking is so important. It is clear that this way the beans will cook faster and will turn out tastier. But there is another very important reason. The fact is that beans contain special substances - oligosaccharides. They make things really difficult digestive system humans, and in case of problems with the gastrointestinal tract they are even dangerous! During soaking, the oligosaccharides dissolve in water. That is why the beans must be boiled in fresh water after soaking.

If it was not possible to soak, then change the water a couple of times during cooking.

As you can see, everything is quite clear and uncomplicated. I am sure that if you follow these recommendations, even a beginner in the kitchen will be able to prepare dishes with beans correctly and tasty.

Beans are one of those “long-lasting” vegetable plants, the cooking of which should be carried out only after preliminary preparation - soaking the grains. Then the beans will reveal all their taste qualities, and the beans will retain their shape.

Preparing beans for cooking

The beans are carefully sorted, removing wrinkled, unripe and darkened ones, as well as other impurities.
The grains are washed in cool water, changing it several times.
Then soaked in large quantities cold water and leave for 6-8 hours. To prevent the grains from souring, it is necessary to change the water several times. After all, even a slight deterioration in the quality of the beans will affect their final taste after cooking.
The soaking time depends on both the variety and the shelf life of the beans. Newly harvested beans will swell faster than older beans.
After soaking, the beans are washed thoroughly.

How to cook beans in a saucepan

The beans are poured with clean cold water in a ratio of 1:3 and put on fire.
Cook the beans at a low simmer, which should not be interrupted, under a closed lid.
Cooking time ranges from one to two hours.
Salt the beans 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking.
The beans are checked for readiness. Cooked grains become soft and increase in size by 2 times.
Place the finished beans in a colander.

How to cook beans in a slow cooker

The beans are washed and soaked for 5-6 hours in cold water.
Then the beans are washed again.
Place in a multicooker bowl and fill with cold water so that there is twice as much beans.
Cook using the “Stew/Soup” program. Make sure that foam does not form. In this case, the multicooker lid does not need to be closed.
Cooking is continued for 1.5-2 hours until the beans are soft.

How to cook beans in the microwave

The beans are sorted, washed well and soaked in cool water for 8-9 hours.
Rinse again before cooking.
Place the beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover the beans by about 5 cm.
Cover the container with a lid and cook at high power for 13-15 minutes.
Then reduce the power by half and cook for another 20 minutes or longer until the beans are soft.
Salt at the very end of cooking.

Since the beans take a long time to cook, the water boils away a lot. Do not add cold water, because sudden changes in temperature may cause the beans to crack. These beans do not become soft for a long time. Therefore, if necessary, add only boiling water or at least hot water.
Many housewives add it to water to cook beans faster. baking soda. It really helps to cook the beans quickly, but it also takes away most of the vitamins.
If salt is added at the beginning of cooking, the beans do not cook well and remain somewhat tough. These grains can be used to make salads or soups.
For soup, the beans are first boiled and the water in which they were boiled is poured out. If you cook the soup in the same water, its broth will be cloudy and tasteless.
And also such a dish will become a source of excessive gas formation in the intestines. After all, during cooking, substances that cause fermentation are released into the water from the beans.
For the same reason, you should not eat undercooked beans, much less raw ones. This can lead to stomach upset.
The cooking time for beans also depends on the quality of the water. It is believed that if you pour chilled boiled water over the beans, they will cook faster.
If the recipe calls for adding tomato, tomatoes or vinegar to the beans, this is done after the beans are cooked. But a bunch of herbs or other spices can be added during cooking. They will improve the taste of the beans.
If different varieties of beans are used for a dish, then each of them is boiled separately, the water is drained and only then mixed.
Beans come in white, plain colored and variegated colours. White beans are used for preparing first courses (so as not to spoil appearance broth). Main courses are prepared from colored beans.
White beans cook faster than red beans. It will be ready in about 40-50 minutes from the moment it boils, so to prevent it from turning into porridge during cooking, you need to monitor the process all the time. Red beans, if cooked according to all the rules, are usually ready in 1-1.5 hours.