The Time-Saving Trick For Soaking Dried Beans

Cooking beans from scratch can be a painstaking process that's completely worth it. Canned beans are great in a pinch, but dried beans contain more flavor and better texture in comparison to their tinned counterparts. The taste is superior, and yet, the lengthy procedure of soaking beans for hours on end often makes us reconsider the choice to purchase dried beans.

It can take anywhere from four to twelve hours to soak beans, making the overall preparation time far longer than it needs to be. Rather than waiting overnight until you can enjoy a plate of Cuban black beans or spicy chili, the quick soaking method allows you to prepare dried beans in less than two hours.

By quick soaking your beans, you can boil them immediately instead of leaving them in a bowl of water overnight. Soaking beans for a fraction of the time may sound too good to be true, but the method always yields successful results.

Before boiling your beans, rinse them with cool water in a colander, picking through and discarding any spoiled pieces or stones. After about one to two minutes, pour the beans into a large pot. Cover them in water and boil them on the stove or in an Instant Pot. After a few minutes, remove them from the heat and let them sit for an hour. Once they've soaked, you can cook the beans as usual.

This method allows you to cook beans in a shorter time. Yet, there's another shortcut to fast beans. It turns out that you don't really need to soak dried beans before cooking. Some people say that they cook faster and they're more tender after they're soaked, but it really doesn't make a noticeable difference. Soaked beans do cook faster, but not by a significant amount of time. To cook dried beans without all the prep, boil them on high for around 20 minutes. Then, reduce the beans to a simmer, and let them cook until they reach your desired softness.