Five favorite ways with beans
A primer for bean success in your own kitchen
Beans are thrifty, versatile, nutrient powerhouses, and when done well, they are soul satisfying. In my life here at the cottage, beans play a central role. Once a pot of beans has been cooked, each subsequent meal using them just gets better and better: flavor layers meld in richer unison, the cooking liquid thickens, and even the beans’ texture becomes more plump and creamy. Here is an info share to broaden your bean repertoire, to inform how you might want to cook and season them, and many delicious ways to use up a pot.
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The following are some tips I’ve picked up along the way, incorporating methods for cooking dry beans so that your success is guaranteed:
Troubleshooting beans on the stovetop
You’ve soaked dry beans overnight and cooked them on the stovetop, but they’re not, well, “right”… It’s helpful to ascertain what exactly is not working. Are they crunchy or grainy? Cook them longer! That may mean adding more liquid, since beans need to be submerged by at least 1/2” of liquid to deliver their best. Sometimes when I’m cooking a new-to-me bean, I don’t exactly know when they’ll be “ready”… so I cover them by at least an inch of liquid (and often 2-3”, since I’ll want that silky potlikker later) and set a 40 minute timer after I’ve brought them to a boil and then covered to simmer. Once that time has elapsed, I’ll check in at 15 minute intervals. During this period when I go to stir the pot, if I can feel the still-hollow texture of the beans knocking against the spoon, it’s an indication that they need more time. A thick, soft feel as you stir will let you know the beans are done. Of course, if that sounds like crazy talk and you’re still not sure, fish out a bean or two and take a little nibble… if they aren’t tender, re-cover the pan and continue cooking them at 10-15 minute intervals until you’ve arrived at that pleasing texture. Once you’re there, this newly established clarity will be your foundation for more bean adventures to come.
Cooking beans in a slow cooker
While I most often cook beans on the stovetop, I reach for the crockpot if I’m looking to make an extra special - or large batch - recipe. The slow cooker offers more room to work with, affording more space for additional ingredients (voilà bean stews), as well as the means to add the beans and liquid, cover with the lid, and walk away… Cooking beans in a slow cooker reliably delivers creamy results because you’re cooking them for multiple hours at a comparatively low temperature - this surefire method for success cannot be overstated! The house will also fill with an intoxicating aroma, bringing a charged anticipation to the whole experience.
If you choose to cook beans in a slow cooker, there’s no need to soak them in advance. Just be sure to leave enough room for 4:1 liquid-to-beans volume as they cook, checking in on them to top off with additional stock, or just water, as needed. The need to add additional liquid is especially likely if you’ve added different bean types to the slow cooker, such as royal corona or scarlet runner beans, who absorb liquid at a greater rate than say, navy or cranberry beans.
Now that you’re primed for new bean adventures, here are a few tips to ensure sublime results:
If you’re incorporating alliums, sauté them before adding them to the pot. This deepens the overall flavors once the beans are cooked.
Use (homemade if possible) stock over water - it helps to keep a few containers stashed in your freezer or pantry as a rule, for occasions just like this. The already flavorful liquid will infuse further richness to the finished dish, bringing a knowing merriment for once you sit down over brimming, warm bowls.
The addition of aromatics will make your beans extra special. Depending on the aromatics you choose, it’s like going on a trip, infusing your own pot with another culture’s bean language: cumin, chili powder, and garlic for Central America. Oregano, white wine, and garlic for Italy. Beans as porridge (Patjuk) in Korea. Dried shrimp and scotch bonnets for Nigeria. Since beans are a staple food for nearly all cultures around the world, the options are virtually endless.
Add an umami element, or two - chopped dried porcini mushrooms, a tablespoon or two of gochujang chili paste, or harissa (plain tomato paste works too), a small spoonful of fish sauce or marmite - each of these brings with them a concentrated savoriness, enhancing the overall depth of your beans.
As noted above, aromatics are your friend: I almost always add a bay leaf or two or some sprigs of fresh thyme, a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, stock as the cooking liquid, and some sort of fat - olive oil, bacon fat, tallow, or schmaltz are all good options, and will make your cooked beans more lush.
I add 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil when bringing the pot to a boil, or 1-2 tablespoons of any animal fat. Bonus if you opt to add the fat while the pan is still empty: warm the fat till hot, then sauté a chopped onion and/or a few garlic cloves in it, *then* add the beans and their liquid. Clever you, you’ve just established a few layers with your simple pot of beans ;)
Once the beans are cooked, if they are not particularly flavorful, the problem is likely salt. Thankfully that is an easy fix. I’ve long followed the adage that salting beans prior to cooking prevents them from softening as readily in the cooking process… Whether or not it has been reliably dispelled, my method is one that has always served me… so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I usually add a teaspoon once a pot of beans are tender and ready to eat. Stir it in to incorporate and taste. If that isn’t enough, gradually add more salt until the beans’ meaty or creamy verve “shows up”.
Five ways I love beans:
Piled on toast. This is a fast and delicious way to enjoy beans, and a perfect way for day-two of a pot to show up anew. With or without a slather of pesto (or hummus, or mayo, or harissa, etc), beans on toast is a winner for a reason. Don’t forget to generously drizzle good olive oil over top as a finishing touch - the beans and bread will repay you handsomely for it.
Beans mingling as an element amongst other favorite ingredients. Use mushrooms, cubed squash, sausage, cauliflower florets, potatoes, noodles, or other hearty foods to immediately bring “cozy” to any bean dish.
Make chili. This is not revelatory, but it IS an excellent way to eat for a week, or feed a gang. It is also a way to creatively explore this theme by adding nuance to enrich the overall flavors, or the addition of interesting garnishes, which can send the dish to new heights.
Meat as a flavoring within a bean dish. Meat can add depth without stealing the show, a notion that is extra savvy these days, in recognition of a “diet for a small planet” mentality. I love using a leftover hambone or ham hock to flavor the cooking liquid of a pot of beans. Any meat left clinging to the bone melts into the pot, giving one last oomph of savoriness. Very much a “greater than the sum of its parts” kind of moment.
Vegan bean stews. They are amazing and bring hearty flavor comparable to any meat-inclusive version. I sometimes use an immersion blender to purée some of the cooked bean mixture to fortify the texture. Doing so imparts extra lusciousness to the body of the stew.
Sometimes toppings can really set a bowl of beans off.
Whether it’s a simple dollop of thick yogurt or sour cream and a lashing of hot sauce, or you give it the full treatment with crispy shallots, chopped pickley things, and a shower of herbs, consider what you’d like to top your beans with to send them to the next level.
On chili, the general savoriness benefits from brightening flavors such as pickled or raw fresh chili pepper, crunchy bits like frizzled onions, and - if your chili garnish is fresh, add something else pickled. I sometimes add one of my ferments here - from a little pile of chopped sauerkraut, to garden toorshi. A squeeze of lime imparts zip too, if pickled toppings aren’t your idea of a good time.
For every bean dish, a shower of fresh herbs lends easy brightness. Whether it’s chopped cilantro, parsley, dill, or a mix, soft herbs are always a good idea!
I literally just finished meal number three from a bean stew I threw together to cook overnight, in my slow cooker. As I bang out the final prep for my Wild Alaska dinner tomorrow, this food is saving me, in all the ways. It includes two bean types - buckeye and yellow eye beans from Rancho Gordo, a few tablespoons of the harissa from my book, bay leaves, some thawed stock, hearty cubes of winter squash and some caramelized onions…
I hope there is something in all of this that lights a spark for you. Or brings you new clarity! Now that you’re swimming in bean intel, I’d love to know, what are you going to tackle first?
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That beans on toast moment gets me every time ✨🍁
I loved reading this. I just made a beautiful pot of beans today after soaking them overnight and your description of what it feels like to stir the beans and feel them knocking on the spoon vs the smooth full-bodied stir of fully cooked beans is so right on.
My brother-in-law made an outstanding soup with the beans, kabocha squash, scallion and lime. It was partially blended with some whole beans in there for texture. So good!