Cooking Beans and Lentils

Bean Cooking Tips

Buying: Buy dry or canned beans. Look for organic beans and lentils whenever possible.

Storing: Store dry beans in airtight containers for up to one year

Soaking: Before soaking, pick through and remove strange looking beans and dirt.

Fast soak: Bring 1 gallon water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large stock pot. Add 1 pound beans, cover and soak for at least 2 hours at room temperature

Slow soak: Add one pound of beans to 1 gallon water and 2 tablespoons salt in a large stock pot and soak a minimum of 4 hours and up to overnight at room 

No soak: Increase cooking time significantly

Storing soaked beans: Legumes and beans might add that cooked beans can be frozen in air tight container or freezer bags s

Cooking tips:

Fresh water: Drain the soaking beans and cook in fresh water.  Use 5 quarts of water for every pound of beans

Salt: Add 1-2 teaspoons salt to the cooking water for more tasty beans

Stove Top Cooking

Boil, simmer, and cover: Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cover

Skim the foam: Skim the foam early in the cooking cycle for sweeter tasting beans

Seasoning the water: use broth, or your favorite spices (cumin, oregano, bay leaves, black pepper, or thyme)

Cooking time will be between 1-3 hours, depending on soak time, freshness of the dried beans and types of beans.

Instant Pot Beans

Pick over the beans and rinse
Place 1 pound of beans and 8 cups of water in instant pot. Season water if desired
Cook on high for 30 minutes for beans and 40 minutes of chickpeas.
Cool for 20 minutes before releasing pressure 

Slow cooker Beans

Follow about preparations
Cover beans with 2 inches of water, add seasonings, aromatics
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours
Safety Note: If you are cooking kidney beans, boil them for 10 minutes before cooking. This neutralizes a toxin called phytohemagglutinin that can cause acute digestive distress

Left over beans

Use in soup, veggie burgers, make refried beans, use for breakfast, make hummus/bean dip, or add to a salad

Split Red Lentils

Cooking Lentils

Pick over the looking for debris and rinse
Soaking is not required
Stovetop, use 3 cups of liquid to 1 cup of dry lentil in large stock pot, lentils will double or triple in size
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover tightly, and simmer until tender
Cook time is 15-20 minutes for brown and green lentil.
Red lentils cook in only about 5-7 minutes
Check seasoning after cooking, don’t salt during cooking, it will tough lentils,

Using Lentils

Use lentils in salads, soups, in bowls replacing rice, bakes, and braise.