runnerbean

I think that one of the things that has happened is that the beans we are getting these days are of better quality (and fresher) than those available 5 or 10 years ago. In researching for the new edition of my book, The Bean Bible, to be called "Beans", I have been amazed at the differences the last five years have made. All kinds of sources on the internet for heirloom beans, Spanish, Latin American, and Italian heirlooms, Indian legumes, and specialty varieties... all kinds of chefs using legumes on their menus, articles in magazines and books. In general, beans (and other legumes) have become so much more mainstream. I'm thrilled! When my book first came out in 2000, people said to me, "Why did you write a book about beans; everyone hates beans." Pretty discouraging. The picture is so different now. Witness this topic in e-gullet. As far as salt, I agree that it is good to add salt from the beginning. Even if I don't add it at first, I will always add it to the pot while there is still enough liquid to dissolve the salt and disperse it into the beans. Salting after they are cooked means that the salt never really penetrates to the center and beans without salt (and other seasonings) can be really bland. Re soaking and blanching, all I know is that in testing more than 200 bean recipes if we did the soaking and blanching, we had little to no gas, if we didn't the results were far different. Soaking and blanching is done in Mediterranean countries, but not in Mexico. Different strokes...and maybe different beans.

Sugar, salt, and anything acidic (lemon, vinegar, and tomatoes) will all toughen beans, so that it is more difficult to get them to absorb liquid, so that when making something like Boston baked beans, it's important to cook the beans till they're mostly tender before adding the molasses or other sweetener. As far as salt, some people add it add the beginning of cooking, or when using a pressure-cooker (so they don't turn to mush). If the beans are well-soaked or are new crop, the salt can safely be added from the beginning. Older beans need more care. Also, if you live in an area with hard (mineral heavy, acidic) water, you may need to add just a pinch of baking soda to ]neutralize the acid, especially when cooking chickpeas--notoriously hard to cook. Bean Appetit!

As the author of "The Bean Bible", I know there are many methods of cooking beans, with pluses and minuses for each one. I do soak whole beans, unless I know for sure they're from this year's crop, like Rancho Gordo's homegrown (I wish I could get to the farmer's market where he sells his). Not only do soaked beans cook up plumper in less time, but soaking leaches out some of the nasty oligosaccharides (complex sugars) that are difficult for many of us to digest. The best quality beans, homegrown this year's crop from specialty growers like Adobe Milling and the Bean Bag, and imported high quality beans from France, Spain, and Italy will cook up best--whole, creamy, and plump--without falling apart. As far as cooking method, a pressure cooker is wonderful--and beans should definitely be salted if using this method--to keep them firmer under pressure, but it takes experimenting to get the right pressure and cooking time for each type of bean. My favorite fail-safe cooking method for beans is to soak, blanch by boiling about 5 minutes, (to remove even more of the sugars), drain and then bring to the boil again (barely covered) with fresh water or other liquid in a heavy cast-iron Dutch oven (I use Creuset) and then cover and bake at 300 degrees till creamy but still firm. I'd be happy to answer questions about bean cookery.