How to cook beans

I have a dirty little secret to tell you -- I often use canned beans.  Most chefs and cooking instructors would find this to be an unforgivable sin, considering that fact that my job is to teach people how to cook.  Surely, I am supposed to tell you to stop buying beans in cans and to start cooking your own -- not only is it cheaper, but a lot tastier too.  At least that's the theory.  Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to give you a lecture on the virtues of cooking your own beans even though I hope to solve your bean cooking problems by the end of this post.  Beans are one of the most temperamental ingredients I've ever dealt with.  They often turn out either too chalky, or too mushy, or their skins burst making their insides taste all watery.  The worst part is that all three problems can happen in one batch making them very difficult to solve.

You didn't expect such an encouraging introduction, did you?  Well, here is the good news.  It is possible to cook perfect beans at home, but it takes lots of patience and precision.  First, let's talk about when you should bother to cook beans yourself and when you can use canned beans with very good results.

Salads
When I need 1-2 cups of beans for a salad -- they are great tossed with tomatoes, or blanched asparagus or green beans -- I usually open a can.   I always keep 3-4 cans of cannellini beans (my favorite type) on hand for just this purpose.  The brand of a can makes a big difference.  Whole Foods generic brand "365" is great.  Just avoid any "No Salt Added" cans.  Beans need salt not only for the purpose of seasoning, but also for even cooking.  Rinse the beans thoroughly in a colander, drain, and serve.  Yes, you'll probably spend $1 on a cup of cooked beans instead of 25 cents if you were to buy them dry.  But when you take your time into account, canned beans will beat home-cooked by a huge margin.

Soups and Stews
When cooking a bean soup or stew, I usually cook my own beans because I want their lovely cooking liquid. The liquid surrounding canned beans is starchy and unpalatable.  But when you cook the beans yourself, you end up with a very flavorful broth that can be used in soups, stews, and sauces.

Spreads
When using beans for a pureed spread (hummus, cannellini rosemary spread, or bean walnut pâté), I often cook my own to have the cooking liquid on hand to adjust the consistency.  Of course, you can also use canned beans and simply add a little water or olive oil.  Pureed bean spreads are also a good "recovery" dish for those cases when your beans refuse to behave.  Just make sure they aren't chalking and crunchy, but don't worry if they burst or end up mushy.  Once you puree them, no one will notice the difference.

If you are going through the trouble of cooking beans, cook a big batch and use them in different dishes.  They'll last happily in the fridge for 1 week when stored in their cooking liquid.

Now that you know when to bother cooking your own beans, let's talk about how.

Bean types
You can use this method for all kinds of white beans (cannellini, navy, great northern), pinto beans, black beans, cranberry beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans (chick peas), and kidney beans.  This method does not apply to lentils.  Although they are also of the legume family, they don't need soaking, and taste best when cooked al dente, while the beans taste best when cooked till completely soft.

Buying beans
Try to buy your beans in stores with a good turn around.  Old beans will not cook evenly and sometimes will refuse to get tender.  Whole Foods usually has a better turn around for beans and grains than most supermarkets.

Soak in salted water
If you want evenly cooked beans, you need a long soak (8-24 hours).  You also need to salt the soaking water.  Yes, I am well aware of the old wives' tale that you shouldn't salt beans until they are almost done.  Even many professional chefs still believe that.  But if you do your own experiments, you'll quickly realize that salt actually helps rather than hurts your beans.  Or you can let Cook's Illustrated do the experiments for you as long as you listen to their results.  If you want a scientific explanation, here is what Cook's has to say about soaking beans in salt water:

In recent testing, we’ve found that soaking dried beans in mineral-rich; hard tap water can toughen their skins. Some recipes recommend using distilled water to avoid this issue, but we’ve discovered a simpler solution: adding salt to the tap water, which prevents the magnesium and calcium in the water from binding to the cell walls, and it will also displace some of the minerals that occur naturally in the skins.

To soak 2 cups of beans I use 2 quarts of water and 3 Tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (or 1 Tbsp and 2 tsp of table salt).

If you can't cook the beans after soaking for 24 hours, drain, put in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Cooking

2 cups dried beans, soaked as described above, drained and rinsed
3 quarts water
1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (or 1.5 tsp table salt)
Optional aromatics:
Large chunks or onions, carrots, celery
Bay leaf
A few sprigs or rosemary, sage or thyme

Put beans, water, salt, and any optional aromatics in a large, heavy pot. Bring the beans to a simmer over high heat. As soon as the bubbles break the surface of the water, turn down the heat to very low (if using an electric stove, temporarily move the pan off the burner to let it cool off). Skim off the foam that rises to the top. From here on, you want to keep the liquid 200 - 207F (that's just under a simmer). No, it's not too anal to use a thermometer every so often to make sure you are in that zone.
I wish I could give you some nice chart with cooking times for different bean types.  Unfortunately, I'd be just setting you up for failure.  Each batch of beans has a mind of it's own, so you have to taste, taste, and taste some more.  I start tasting 45 minutes after the beans come to a simmer.  Usually, they are done 1-2 hours after they they come to a simmer.  Remember that even though you bring the beans to a simmer originally, you cook them just under a simmer (simmer would be 212F).

Many people have good results with cooking beans in a slow-cooker or in the oven.  I haven't tried a slow-cooker because I don't have one, and I prefer stove top over the oven because I can test the temperature of the liquid and taste the beans easier.  As long as you realize that the beans have to be cooked extremely gently, feel free to experiment with whatever cooking method works for you.

Tasting
Don't be alarmed if the bean skins blister and break when you remove them from the cooking liquid to taste.  That's not an indication that they are overcooked.  Once the beans have cooled, the skins will become much more stable.  Test the beans whose skin looks intact.  The ones that broke down a bit are definitely done.  If the bean you tasted is completely tender, taste at least 5 more beans to make sure they are all cooked.  When working with cannellini and a few other white bean varieties, don't get alarmed if about 10-20% of the beans break slightly.  That's usually what happens by the time all of them are tender.  Just let them sit in the fridge overnight and their texture will become much more pleasant.

Cooling
Never drain and use the beans immediately after cooking.  Their skins often blister and burst unless you give them a chance to cool first.  Cool and store the beans in their cooking liquid.  Once they come to room temperature, refrigerate for up to 1 week.  They always taste better the day after they were cooked.