A reader sent in a question recently, and I thought a few of you might benefit from the answer, too. Here’s what she had to say:
Mavis, I have never “cooked” beans, only used canned. How do you make a big batch of beans? Also, how do you make that nice sticky rice, is it a specific kind of rice?
I use a rice cooker to make all of my rice. Because I’m lazy that way. 😉 If you are wanting a good sticky {but not too sticky} rice, I highly recommend jasmine rice from Costco. I buy it in bulk {25 pounds at a time} and we go through about 2 sometimes 3 bags a year. I use it for everything! Beans and rice, lentils over rice, pork fried rice you name it.
Next up: how to make a big ol batch of beans. Here’s how:
Ingredients
Beans
A pot
Water
Whatever spices your heart desires
Directions
{You can soak your beans overnight if you’d prefer, but that just speeds up the cooking process and is not necessary at all.} Fill a large stock pot with your beans. If you want to make a large batch, I’d do about 3 cups of dried beans. That will yield about 9 cups of cooked beans. Fill your pot with cool water until the water is about an inch higher than the beans.
Do not salt the water or it can toughen your beans. You can always add some things to the water to flavor the beans while cooking. I’ve added garlic, bacon, onions or even some cumin if I’m cooking black beans. Bring beans to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 1-2 hours, adding water when needed to keep the beans covered. Cook times will vary based on bean type, but beans are done when they can be easily mashed with a fork or between your fingers. OR, if you don’t have time to babysit a pot on the stove, toss everything in a crock pot and cook on low while you’re away at work all day.
Sometimes I’ll drain the excess liquid, add a jar of spicy salsa to the beans and let them cook in a crock pot for an additional hour and then serve them over rice.
Beans and rice, rice and beans. It’s the easiest dinner on planet!
~Mavis
My go to recipe for spicy red beans and lentils can be found HERE {my favorite meal}. If you are looking for a few great baked bean recipes, try my Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans or my Baked Beans From Scratch recipe.
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Mama Sue says
Soaking beans overnight reduces the flatulence factor.
Danielle says
I’ve been experimenting with cooking beans from dry, but it seems like they might cause more… Gas. Any techniques to reduce this little problem?
Lizzzy says
My father always put at least a table spoon of vinegar in with the bean while they cook. It helps pre-break the bean down for your tummy and seems to reduce the gas.
Debbie says
The level of stickiness in rice depends on the grain. Your typical long grain American rice will never be as sticky as a shorter grain variety no matter how you cook it. Almost all Asian rice is a short to medium grain rice. There are actually a couple of different types of starches found in rice and the shorter grain varieties tend to be the ones with the starch that makes rice sticky. Our Costco sells a decent jasmine rice and a decent short grain Asian rice. But for the best rice you really should go to an Asian market. They have a much larger selection and the prices are SO much cheaper. My husband lived in Japan for a few years and is picky on his rice. Nishiki brand is his favorite.
Also, if your dried beans are old it will be tempting to just throw them away because you can cook them for days and they never seem to soften. However, you can add baking soda (3/8 t per cup of beans) to the soaking liquid and that will help. Then drain and rinse them before cooking.
Kristina says
Fear not the farts, people! The more you eat beans, the better your body metabolizes them. And they are so yummy and good for you. Mavis, have you ever visited the Serious Eats blog? They’ve got a guy there who writes a feature called “Food Lab”, in which he tests the best ways to cook different foods or use certain techniques, including whether or not to salt beans. His tests resulted in concluding that salting bean water before cooking (even brining beans) is the method that results in superior results. It’s what I’ve always done, but only because my mother always did it, so it was fun to see him lay out the science behind it.
Mrs. C. says
Sticky rice is a type of rice. Specifically, if you are talking about the really sticky rice in Thai or dim sum restaurants, you want to get “sweet glutinous rice,” which is available in Asian markets or on line. I cook this in a rice cooker, but I have to presoak it for about 4 hours.
I can also make less sticky, but still sticky, rice using Kokuho Rose premium white rice, which I have seen in Costco. When you cook this in a rice cooker, set the setting for “soft” rice.
Kathy says
Black eyed peas and saffron rice…mmm, mmm delicious!
I overnight soak my beans, cooking the next day. Make the saffron rice in the rice cooker, toss the cooked beans on top and am in heaven!
jaime says
If you are cooking dried kidney beans, you do need to boil them for 10 minutes. These beans contain Phytohaemagglutninm, a toxin that can cause vomiting with as few as 5 beans. Kidney beans are not recommended for slow cooking because of this toxin.
Lauralli says
I always soak beans but pour that soaking water out and add fresh water before cooking. Also, I add salt along with my other spices and my beans get really soft–the way we like them! And, now for the downer….have you seen the reports about arsenic in our rice? We’re supposed to be boiling our rice in lots of water and draining it (like pasta) to get rid of up to 50% of the arsenic. I’m needing to find out how much rice one needs to consume for the arsenic to be harmful, or is it all harmful?
Stephanie says
Here is Consumer Reports article on arsenic in rice:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm
Their testing recommends rinsing, cooking in extra water then draining, and limiting rice pasta / cereals. California basmati rice has lowest level in US, Texas has highest.
Guess your consumption would be based on where the rice is from, how it’s prepared, and how well your body can excrete inorganic arsenic (biological toxin).
Suzetta says
I always cook beans in a slow cooker. If you have ever boiled beans dry you’ll understand why I like the slow cooker method.
3 cups dried pinto beans soaked overnight
3/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp dried chopped onion
3 chicken bouillon cube
4 1/8 cups water
Drain beans and rinse. Combine everything in 4 quart slow cooker. Cook on high until beans are soft (about 6 hours).
Emily says
How d you store 25 lbs of rice?