Reading this forum thread on how to cook beans has made me revise my [lack of] understanding of how to cook beans.

I used to soak them for 8 hours and toss them into the pressure cooker until they were “done”. Then I’d take them out and combine them with whatever called for a “can of beans”. The pressure cooker output would be my “can of beans”. Getting them “right” this way is more of an art than a science.

What I’ve found out is that “deliciousness” is very dependent on texture and that texture can be controlled by not cooking the beans all the way in the pressure cooker. Instead take the slightly undercooked beans out prematurely and add them to the sauce or whatever you’re making and cook them the rest of the way there until they’re just right.

Here’s another great black bean recipe to try. We don’t make the rice separately but simply toss it in during “the final hour” of the cooking process when the beans are just about there.

Originally posted 2010-11-22 18:23:32.