Fall

Cooked Beans

February 15, 2017
4
1 Ratings
Photo by Alexandra Stafford
  • Makes 6 to 7 cups cooked beans
Author Notes

This is the method I like to use for soaking (brining, actually) and cooking beans and legumes. I learned the brining method from Cook's Illustrated. —Alexandra Stafford

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound dried beans or chickpeas
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 onion, halved
  • few sprigs thyme
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1 bay leaf, optional
Directions
  1. Brine the beans: Place the beans in a large bowl with the 3 tablespoons of salt and water to cover by several inches. Let sit overnight or for 10 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
  2. Place beans in a large pot with the remaining salt, the onion, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Cover with water by several inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water is gently simmering. Simmer until beans are cooked through, 45 minutes to 1 hour (or longer), adding water as necessary to ensure the beans are covered. Let beans cool in their cooking liquid. Store beans in their cooking liquid in fridge for a week or so. Store in freezer for months.

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I write the blog alexandra's kitchen, a place for mostly simple, sometimes fussy, and always seasonal recipes. My cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs is available everywhere books are sold.

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