16-bean soup

[jgm]

I love 16-bean soup, but I don't love the way it comes out when cooked according to package directions. I'm hoping for some practical advice on how to handle this.

The problem is that if you soak the beans (or boil and let sit for an hour) and then cook them, by the time all of them are cooked through, some of them are cooked to mush.

I bought a package of them last week, and thought I'd just quickly sort through them. Not happening. Duh. Who wants to sit and sort all those beans?

So I found a large-hole colander in my kitchen and now they're sorted into two groups: small and large. I guess I'll get out my "Joy of Cooking" and do a little reading to try to figure out the relative cooking times for the two sizes of beans. I'm thinking about doing the soaking in two batches, draining both, starting the larger beans cooking, and then adding the smaller ones about a half hour later or so.

If this doesn't produce a satisfactory result, does anybody have any advice on how to get there without buying 16 different kinds of beans and cooking them in 16 different pots?????

There's gotta be a better way.

[Tri2Cook]

If this doesn't produce a satisfactory result, does anybody have any advice on how to get there without buying 16 different kinds of beans and cooking them in 16 different pots?????  

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Come on now, Heston Blumenthal would be proud. Especially if you research the beans and exactly how long to optimally cook each one. And no, I'm not being a smartass... I'm a fan of Chef Blumenthal and his approach to food.

[Shalmanese]

Hrmm... can you sous vide beans so they don't overcook?

[lperry]

I always thought that the little beans and peas were supposed to overcook to thicken the soup. Now I'm wondering.

[Peter the eater]

Sixteen beans? That's a lot of beans.

So you've got a bag of mixed dry beans that tells you to cook all 16 together and it doesn't work to your liking - have you tried to contact the maker? Surely they've done some tests.

The colander trick is clever but I don't think size is the only determinant of cooking time.

16 jars with 16 different beans would look impressive in the pantry.

[pax]

I always thought that the little beans and peas were supposed to overcook to thicken the soup.  Now I'm wondering.

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That's what I thought too.

Edited August 26, 2008 by pax (log)

[HungryC]

I got a good laugh this AM at the thought of you sorting the beans! I agree with the previous posters--the lentils are supposed to cook into mush to thicken the soup. One problem with your sort-by-size approach is that size isn't really the determining factor in cooking time: some smallish beans like black beans or chickpeas take forever to cook, while larger beans like dried limas or blackeyed peas cook in a much shorter period of time.

If you REALLY want perfectly cooked beans mixed together, don't buy mixed beans in the first place. Cook batches of your favorite varieties separately, them mix together once they're all perfectly to your liking. Or try the cheater's tip: when I overcook the bean soup into mush, I rehab it by adding canned beans at the very end.

[jgm]

I always thought that the little beans and peas were supposed to overcook to thicken the soup.  Now I'm wondering.

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Well, maybe that's the case. All I remember is, the last time I made this soup, it wasn't very satisfying because some of the beans were mush and some weren't quite done. (I'll have to ask my shrink why I bought more...) Maybe if I made sure all were done, the mushy ones would be so mushy I wouldn't notice.

Next time, I think I'll just buy several different types of beans, cook them one at a time, freeze, and combine at a later date.

Question: I know cooked beans can be successfully frozen. If I do the boil-and-let-sit-an-hour instead of the overnight soak, can I freeze the beans at that point, or do I need to cook them until nearly done, and then freeze?

[annecros]

I love 16-bean soup, but I don't love the way it comes out when cooked according to package directions.  I'm hoping for some practical advice on how to handle this.

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How was the 16-bean soup that you loved prepared? I think that may be the starting point. Is there anybody you can talk to? Was it thickish, thinnish? It is hard with these kinds of preps to determine how much influence onion, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper, ham stock, and never discount cumin when thinking beans - all have an influence in the mix.

I always thought it was 15 bean soup - originated by Ham Beans:

Click for beany goodness

and I was always under the impression that this bean soup was the wonderful amalgam of all the dried lentils, spit peas and beans that were laying around - resulting in a magnificent final product - especially cooked with some ham and served with cheese toast. Better warmed over kind of food. And the lentils and split peas are meant to be thickeners, in my opinion.

It's funny, because somewhere I think I read that Ham Beans no longer guarantees 15 different varieties of beans in any particular batch or bag. They just sell what's left - and it is magnificent.

Heck, I've sliced okra into the finish.

[HungryC]

I always thought that the little beans and peas were supposed to overcook to thicken the soup.  Now I'm wondering.

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Question: I know cooked beans can be successfully frozen. If I do the boil-and-let-sit-an-hour instead of the overnight soak, can I freeze the beans at that point, or do I need to cook them until nearly done, and then freeze?

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I freeze all of my dried beans completely cooked....black beans, blackeyed peas, field peas, lady cream peas, red beans (of course), great northerns, etc. My freezer is always full of cooked beans/peas. About the only thing I cook fresh and never freeze is chickpeas---I don't like the texture of the frozen, reheated ones.

[divalasvegas]

Never, ever, ever soak the beans as in NEVER. I buy different 15 bean, 18 bean mixes but I've never soaked my beans. Even if I cook a single dried variety of bean, I never soak the beans. That's how I was taught by the MASTER, meaning my mom. Also, I always throw out the "seasoning packet" and season my own pot of beans my way.

[Jenni]

16 jars with 16 different beans would look impressive in the pantry.

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Erm....pretty much sounds like my pantry. And yes, I do use them all!