How I Rehydrate Dried Beans

As I wrote earlier this month, I’m making an effort to strengthen my life in a variety of areas during 2015.  One of the ways I’m doing that is making as many products at home from scratch as possible.  Brian and I are also setting out to get an even better grasp of our finances.  This method of rehydrating lets me do both those things at once.

I’ve been cooking beans this way for years, based a post from The Kitchn.  It’s just the way I do things.  It was only during conversations this weekend that I realized this method needed to be shared with more people.  No one I talked to had heard of it!  I’ve never had much success with rehydrating beans overnight; they never seem ready to use when I’m ready to cook.  Never mind the fact that you have to remember to do it the night before.

My method of choice is to put the dried beans in a Dutch oven (mine is 5 quarts), cover with at least an inch of water and cook for an hour and a half to two hours at 325 degrees.  Sometimes, when I think of it, I add salt or garlic, but generally it’s just water and beans.  After the first hour and a half of cooking, I take them out, check them for doneness and, if they’re still hard, put them in for more time.  I’ve had regular success with black beans, chickpeas and pinto beans.  Want more details?  Check out the original post at The Kitchn: How to Cook Beans in the Oven.

I love this method of cooking beans.  I usually make about half a pound at a time (though I never measure) and it allows me to purchase organic beans by the bag at the supermarket or in bulk at the local co-op.  Dried beans are much less expensive than canned and I can usually make a couple different dishes with a simple batch of oven beans.  I also get to control the sodium and flavor of the beans.  It really is an all around win.