Shel_B

Fregola Pasta e Ceci with some nice Cherry Tomatoes

My Dinner With Andre has always been a favorite, as has Diner (He ate the whole left side of the menu). White Palace has some memorable moments as well.

Excellent, on all points!

Italian-American Cowboy Beans for lunch ... a kicked-up, smokey Fagioli all’Uccelletto with pancetta affumicata and a mixture of chipotle meco and morita chilies.

From a 2017 (approximately) Epicurious article: Epicurious Winning Method for Cooking Beans For the Epi Kitchen, the results were clear. Quick-soaking the beans, salting them at the beginning of cooking, and cooking in a pot without a lid, resulted in beans with great texture and a flavorful broth. To cook: Place 1 lb. dried pinto beans in a large, heavy pot. Cover with water about 2” above the top of the beans. Cover pot, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Let rest for 1 hour. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Uncover, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender and creamy, checking after 1 hour and adding more water as necessary to keep beans submerged, 1–1 1/2 hours total.

Thanks ... somehow I missed your post until now. I'll read the article tomorrow, before a little shopping jaunt.

@weinooI took your advice and made a batch of chicken stock in the IP this morning and was very pleased with the results. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks. That's useful information. I tried to find more about who owns Take Root, and couldn't find anything by the time I stopped looking. Interest in these tomatoes has now dropped substantially.

I just found out about them last night, shortly before posting my info request. The reviews I've read have been mixed. There's a store nearby that carries them, and when next I head in that direction I'll grab a can or two.

I saw these on Amazon and a few other sites. I've neither seen nor heard of them before. Has anyone tried them and have any comment on their quality and taste? I'm looking for a less expensive organic, canned tomato for some of those mid-week, thrown-together, leftover-using dishes in which my preferred, expensive tomatoes would be more-or-less wasted. These are about 2/3 the cost of my usual canned tomatoes.

I saw this done on an America's Test Kitchen video and tried it on one of my older skillets. It seems to work, although I want to see what happens over a longer time frame. I didn't see any mention of how often this should be done. Does anyone have experience with this technique? How to Season a Nonstick Skillet 1. Ensure that your skillet is clean and dry. 2. Place the skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds. 3. Apply a small amount of canola or vegetable oil to the skillet. Using a folded paper towel or cloth, rub the oil across the entire surface of the skillet. 4. Turn off the heat, let the skillet cool, and then wipe out any excess oil. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/5561-how-to-season-nonstick-skillet

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely read the article after returning home later today.

The coffee I get from the local roasters has been roasted within a week of my acquisition. I obtained the last batch within four days of the roasting date. Does that change anything?

I have heard that it's not a good idea to freeze roasted beans, but I've also heard that problems arise when the beans are removed and replaced multiple times from the freezer. A local coffee roaster has a Kenyan coffee that I love, but it's not always available. It is now, and I was thinking of stocking up and keeping some in the freezer. It would remain frozen until use ... no in/out of the freezer. I'd probably freeze smallish amounts, 1/2-lb or so. What do you think about freezing the beans in this manner? Thanks!

Sur La Table by Escali Dimensions: 9" x 6.5" x 0.75" Other Escali scales are also narrower than 7 inches

IMO, that's a great reason to consider the OXO scales. The feature has made life in the kitchen easier and more pleasant many times.

Not to belabor such a simple topic, but I did want to get back with an observation. While it seemed that the IP chickpeas were softer than I wanted, after setting for a while, and when reheating them in the dish I made, they were just about perfect. They seemed to firm up a bit after sitting a while and they retained shape and texture through the second cooking process which involved a fair amount of stirring and agitation in the pan along with the pasta and sauce. I was pleasantly surprised.

I bought the OXO about 12 years ago and have been happy with it. I'd recommend it to almost anyone.

For the time being, I'm going to continue using the pressure cooker. First, I want to learn how the tool works and how, or even if, it can be of benefit. Additionally, while some have said that the stovetop produces better results, no one has explained in what way the results are better, although I will admit to having not done a deep dive into the subject. Since I've only made beans twice in the IP, I don't yet know how good the results can be. I've only made beans those two times, so I've a lot to learn about the process and determine what I want as a result. At some point, I may want to go further in exploring bean cookery (?) Right now, I'm just starting, and I also want to learn about the IP, and what it can, and cannot, do. So, beans it is ... at least for the time being.

That seems to be very good advice. I will try the next batch for ten minutes.

My first experiment with the chickpeas in the Instant Pot was only partially successful. I soaked the beans in lightly salted water for 10 hours and when I tasted them they had a fair amount of "bite" left. I cooked them on the normal setting for 12 minutes and let the pot cool down naturally for about 15 minutes. The result was that the beans were softer than desired but they still held their shape. I would like them to be a bit firmer. So, should I consider a shorter soak time, less cooking time, or a shorter cooling down time? My initial feeling is to cut the soak back to 6 - 8 hours and shorten the cooking time to 10 minutes. What are your thoughts? I'm also thinking about not soaking them at all, just rinsing until they're clean and then cooking for some yet-to-be-determined time. The successful part was the seasoning. I used an onion diced into 8 pieces, two Calabrian peppers with their seeds broken apart, three Turkish bay leaves, two med-large cloves of garlic halved, salt, and about a Tbs of EVOO. The result was just about perfect for my taste and the beans intended use. Comments, including critical ones, are welcome. Thanks!

It's nice to reacquaint myself with the forum. I came across the spreadsheet a few days ago and looked at it yesterday. I'll split the difference and cook the chickpeas for 12 minutes and see what results. I'll get to the cooking later today or tomorrow. Thanks for jumping in 👍

Thank you. I've missed the camaraderie and discussions here.

Hi, all. It's been a few years since I've posted here, although I've been logging on and reading a few threads and posts. Recently, I purchased an Instant Pot and have been using it to make beans. I picked up a pkg of Rancho Gordo chickpeas, and when researching cooking times I found wildly divergent times, from 5 minutes to 22 minutes for soaked chickpeas. I'd like to end up with a firm result, with a bean that holds its shape well and can withstand some additional heating, such as in a pasta e ceci recipe. What times and techniques might you recommend? I was thinking of starting with 12 minutes after an eight-hour soak and using a 10 - 15 minute natural cooling time. Thoughts? Thanks!

Saco seems to be the most readily available powder here, at least I recognize the container. Thinking of just using the amount of milk called for in the recipe, adding some buttermilk powder to the corn meal, and heating it as usual. Since this idea involves some guesswork, I'll start with the most minimal change and go from there. Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how it all turns out.