[Adding flavor to dried beans]

I just took the cooked beans (Dark red kidneys from Zursan) from the IP.  The beans were a little overcooked but still quite useable.

 

I drained but did not rinse the beans when removing them from the soaking liquid.  I added about a quart of filtered water to the beans in the IP and cooked for 12 minutes on high.  I let pressure release for about 17 minutes.

 

The cooking liquid was quite picante and would make a nice addition to many dishes.  The beans were not as picante as I expected based on a taste made after soaking and before cooking them.  However, they still had a fairly strong flavor from the peppers.  Overall, I'd consider the experiment a success.  

 

I believe that if the beans were cooked less, more of the peppery taste would have remained in the beans rather than leaching into the cooking water.  Does that seem like a reasonable conclusion?

 

Using this experiment as a base, I'll continue experimenting with infusing flavor into my beans in this manner.  I believe the technique has possibilities.  Better quality beans and a more precise cooking time may be helpful ... ?

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

I agree with blue_dolphin based on my experience with somewhat similar pork products that I've frozen, specifically pancetta in chubs, thick slices, diced, and ground in a food processor.

[Would you eat this egg?]

16 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Interesting responses that reflect where we each live.    (However I don't intentionally feed snakes!)

I observed that as well.

[Would you eat this egg?]

37 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Compost

And that's where it went at about 3am his morning.

 

Thanks to all for jumping in.

[Would you eat this egg?]

Just curious ... opened a new carton of eggs a while ago and found this puppy.  Would you break this open and fry or scramble it? If you did break it open, what would you look for to decide if you'd eat it or not?

 

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Good luck!  Will you be preparing a control group of beans where you just throw the chiles and garlic into the Instant Pot while you cook them?

 

Also, if the beans don't come out as flavorful as you'd like, just stir a big spoonful of that 'ndjua in with them! Guaranteed flavor booster!

I'd not thought about a control group, but that seems to be a good idea.  Because I have some plans for the weekend, I may not make a control batch until I return. I don't think it matters much when I make the second batch.

 

After purchasing the 'nduja I started reading recipes for ideas on how to use it, and a few included beans as a good match for the spread.  However, regardless of how the test batch turns out, those beans are going into a vegetarian or turkey chili that I'm planning.  I make a big pot of such chili or stew every month or so ... vegetarian chili, turkey with various beans, black bean and sweet potato stew, versions of fagioli all’uccelletto, etc.  I keep about 1/2 for me and give the rest of what I make to residents in my apartment building. 

 

Anyway, I'm going to see about using the 'nduja in my cowboy beans recipe which is a riff on Pasta Grammar's Italian Cowboy Beans. which itself is a riff on a more traditional fagioli all’uccelletto.

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

I’m sure you can accomplish something like that during cooking.  Just not sure what to expect during soaking alone. 

I don't know either, but the experiment has begun.  Mashed up some fresh Thai chilies, some dried Calabrian flakes that I cut from whole peppers (seeds are included in this mess), some salt and some garlic slices.  Added that to about 2 cups of water which I heated to just boiling, covered the pot, and will let the mess steep until the water cools. The aroma is intense!

 

When the water cools, I'll strain it and add some dark red kidney beans and soak for about 12 hours.  I'm keeping the experiment on a small scale. I'll let y'all know what happens after the beans get cooked.

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

30 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Sorry, I don’t know how much flavor infusion can be accomplished during bean soaking. 
I don’t rinse beans after cooking either but the flavor of garlic and chilies is present in drained beans. The bay flavor is more subtle, but I miss it if I leave them out. 

Well, time for more experimenting.

 

A little background might be in order, if for no other reason to know my point of reference.  Years ago I started cooking pasta in chili-infused water, and the pasta would soak up the flavor like a sponge.  I was/am hoping something like that can be done with beans.

 

Thanks for all your advice. I'll certainly consider your comments as I continue exploring bean cooking.

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

19 minutes ago, haresfur said:

then cook the beans in the chicken stock.

 

So cooking in stock works well for you.  That's very good to know.  Thanks!  Do the beans themselves have a chicken-y flavor?

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

49 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I don’t know what’s in that paste, but don’t soak or try to cook dried beans with acidic ingredients. Beyond that, go for it. 
I cook Rancho Gordo beans regularly. I don’t soak, except for Royal Coronas, nor do I use an Instant Pot as I like the concentration of flavor that comes from evaporation. I add garlic, bay leaves and arbol chiles to every pot and find the beans very flavorful.  

The paste has citric acid as a preservative, so based on what you say, it should not be used in the soaking or cooking process.  What if I were to create my own chili pepper infusion by grinding or mincing fresh chili peppers and creating an infusion as originally described.  Nothing but pepper-infused water, maybe some salt.  Would that work?

 

When you describe the beans as flavorful, are you including the liquid in that description?  If so, what about the beans themselves, after cooking but without the liquid, i.e., drained or drained and rinsed? I want the beans themselves to have a strong flavor apart from the cooking liquid, as the liquid my not always be used in the recipes.

[Adding flavor to dried beans]

Now that there's an Instant Pot in my kitchen, and I've found local sources for Rancho Gordo and a couple of other heirloom and organic beans, I'll be using these dried beans instead of canned in many recipes, including several chili recipes, soups, and a few bean-centric main dishes.  So, while I have the equipment and the ingredients, my knowledge is lacking.

 

Is adding flavoring components to the soaking water a good way to go, or is adding these components to the cooking water a better option?  The few times that I've cooked beans in the IP, I've added onion, garlic, bay leaves, and some dried peppers to the cooking water.  The results were pretty good but I'd like to try getting a more intense, or deeper, flavor into the beans.

 

One idea that I have is to infuse the soaking water with some pepper paste.  I've a jar of Aji Amarillo paste that's been sitting in a cupboard for far too long, and perhaps it's time to put that puppy to work. 

I thought I'd add a bunch of paste to the soaking water by heating the water to get a good infusion, strain the solids, and then soak the beans in the cooled water.  Perhaps add some salt to the water as well.  Workable?  Good idea?

 

What do you do to add flavor to beans? 

 

 

[Gotten any fun stuff lately?]

13 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I got some of that 'nduja as well and am curious to see how it compares to other brands I’ve tried. 

The Pasta Grammar folks think it's pretty good, and more than most, they should know.  I've not yet decided how I'll use it for the first try, besides just a scoop and a taste.  Thinking of using it on spaghetti or fileja.  I'd be interested in knowing your reaction.

 

https://www.the-pasta-project.com/fileja-pasta-alla-silana-recipe-from-calabria/

 

 

 

[Gotten any fun stuff lately?]

Well, I got these items recently:

 

 

 

 

I'm hoping this will help me keep track of items in the fridge and freezer.

 

[Yogurt-making @ home]

33 minutes ago, weinoo said:

My question:  do you use the yogurt you've made a starter, or do you consistently buy fresh yogurt to use as a starter?  It looks as if that yogurt you're using is an unopened container; has that been factored into your cost per liter?

I've not made yogurt before. Not sure what you're referencing.

 

I'm not concerned about cost right now. I just want to try my hand at making yogurt.

[Yogurt-making @ home]

10 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The ingredients.

Milk, yogurt, dry whole milk powder.

 

@Tropicalsenior, Why dry whole milk?  Will your technique work with low fat or skimmed dry milk?  Is the liquid milk whole milk?  Thanks!

[Baking soda to enhance browning]

 

14 hours ago, Shel_B said:

I made the turkey/bean chili a while ago

 

14 hours ago, gfweb said:

You could just put it on the surface rather than mixing it in.

How would that work with the diced/minced meat in a chili?

[Baking soda to enhance browning]

47 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

I've never tried this with ground meat but I have read it recommended before. I understand that the baking soda increases the pH of the meat, making it less acidic and that locks in water and keeps it moister and more tender and allowing it brown better. 

 

But soy sauce is somewhat acidic, so you might be reducing the benefit of the baking soda by adding the soy sauce. 

 

But I think the reason for adding water to the baking soda before adding to the meat is just to make it easier to spread around evenly. You only need a bit of baking soda and if you add powder directly, it's probably harder to distribute it evenly throughout the ground meat. 

 

So, I'm not sure I have a clear answer to this, except I do think it's best to add the soy sauce later, after the meat has had a chance to brown, so that it doesn't fight the pH changes of the baking soda. Maybe? 

 

But adding 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of water shouldn't create a problem. After all, the baking soda will help the meat retain its moisture so that's the goal really, if I understand it correctly. 

@FauxPas ... I saw a recipe on ATK where the water/soda mixture and the soy sauce were used separately but at the same time, along with other seasoning, mixed into the meat, and then cooked.  They were making turkey burgers, and I tried that recipe wiyh great results. So, there doesn't seem to be a need to add the soy sauce after the meat is cooked.

 

I made the turkey/bean chili a while ago and decided to just go ahead and add the soda to the soy sauce. The mixture bubbled and fizzed a bit, and then settled down. The results seemed to be fine, but the next time I make the dish I'll add the soy and the soda mixture separately and compare the results.

 

Thanks for your thoughtful response to my question. 👍

[Baking soda to enhance browning]

I'm making a dish where I want to add baking soda to water and mix it with the ground turkey in order to increase the browning and perhaps increase tenderness as well.  I also want to add some soy sauce to the meat to enhance flavor. Would adding the baking soda to the soy sauce and eliminating the water work OK?  I'd like to limit the moisture in the meat if possible.  Is this a good idea? I don't see why not but want to check in to see what y'all have to say.

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

17 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I've never been much of a cheesecake Baker. They've always turned out hit or miss and usually miss until I develop this cheesecake recipe. You say that you aren't really interested in New York style cheesecake and that is the great thing about this recipe. You can adapt it to your own taste. You can add pumpkin for Thanksgiving, put in some chocolate, a little more lemon. It can be anything you want with just a little addition here and there. One of my favorite ways to serve it is with lemon curd.

Thanks for that. Generally, I don't care for additions to cheesecake preferring a simple, straight-ahead style.  That's what attracted me to the recipe I referenced, although having enjoyed that type of cake before certainly got me interested.

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

9 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

@Shel_B, just for the sake of comparison, you might be interested in checking out the Basque Cheesecake recipe on this site.  She goes into quite a bit of detail on the ingredients and process and her recipes are generally very reliable and include measurements by weight and volume. She uses a hand mixer for this one. 

It's for an 8" pan, so in-between @shain's recipe (that 6" size is very appealing to me) and the one you have. 

Great! That site was on my list to check, so I'll move it to the top of the queue.  This young lady has done a good job. 👍👍

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

1 hour ago, TdeV said:

I just made @Tropicalsenior's New York style cheesecake in the Instant Pot. I did a million things incorrectly and, still, it was delicious!

 

I don't want a NY-style cake, and I'm ignorant about using the Instant Pot for such an undertaking. However, reading Tropicalsenior's post has increased my understanding of cheesecake-making technique in general and I'll keep the info in my back pocket until some future date.  I'd like to get more use from my Instant Pot and the recipe does look interesting.

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

4 minutes ago, TdeV said:

That's what I think @Duvel said, but maybe we should wait until he confirms it.

I  can wait. Not planning to make a cheesecake today. Again, thanks.

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

4 minutes ago, TdeV said:

I think @Duvel was suggesting that you reduce the recipe by the number of whole eggs (i.e. divide everything by 7, then multiply by 3 (or 4) to get a half-size cheesecake.

Is that the generally accepted way to reduce such a recipe? It makes sense to me, and seems like a good place to start.  Thank you²

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

2 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Or you could make the cheesecake that was posted by our own @shain.

I have made it and it is excellent. I just mixed it up by hand. I like the texture of Cheesecake better if it is mixed by hand because using a food processor or a mixer incorporates too much air and ruins the texture.

Ahh! That looks like what I want, and the size and technique fit well into my comfort zone.  I'll have to look at the recipe more closely, but from what I can see with a first look, there's something here that I can work with. Thank you for the link.

[Recipe too large for my food processor]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

That's a REALLY big cheesecake!  Do you need that size to feed a crowd? If so, then as long as you heed @Smithy's caution on overmixing, you could certainly give your plan it a try. 

Me?  I'd always prefer making 2 smaller ones over a really big one. 

I wouldn't mind making a smaller cheesecake but I haven't a clue on how to properly reduce the recipe. How much of each ingredient would have to be reduced to give what size result?  What size pan would be needed?  How do I adjust the baking time?  I am out of my comfort and experience zone when it comes to baking.