A simple trick with dried beans that saves me about $40 a year

I see a lot of folks skip soaking beans because they think it takes too long. The key is you don't need to soak them overnight. I put 2 cups of dried pintos in a pot, cover them with boiling water from a kettle, and let them sit for just one hour. They cook much faster after that, which cuts my gas bill. Does anyone else have a quick soak method they like?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_gonzalez3mo ago

You can skip soaking entirely if you have a pressure cooker. I just rinse the beans, cover them with water, and cook on high pressure for about 30 minutes. It uses way less energy than simmering for hours on the stove.

williams902mo ago

Funny you mention that because my buddy Dave tried that exact method last month with a bag of black beans. He did everything right, rinsed them good, covered them with water, cooked them for 30 minutes on high pressure. When he opened the pot half the beans were still rock hard and the other half were complete mush. He said it was like eating gravel mixed with baby food. The thing is pressure cookers vary a lot in how they work, and bean age matters more than people realize. Those beans he used were probably sitting on the shelf for a while, which makes them harder to cook evenly without soaking. Some beans just need that overnight soak to rehydrate properly, no shortcut around it. At the end of the day I still think soaking is worth the little bit of planning. Set a timer for 8 hours and let them do their thing while you sleep. Why deal with the gamble of uneven beans when you don't have to?

harper_wright3mo ago

Yeah, I read that skipping the soak can sometimes lead to less even cooking. The skins might stay a bit tougher in my experience. Still, the time and energy saved is pretty hard to argue with.