Pulses: beans, peas, lentils - love 'em? hate 'em?

Thanks for the Crepes · September 22, 2016

19 minutes ago, kayb said:

I guess it's just me, but I've never found purple hulls to be mealy. I freeze LOTS of purple hulls when they're in season to eat all winter; I love 'em topped with a spoonful of ripe tomato relish and a big wedge of hot cornbread with butter. Don't much care if I eat anything else.

But if I had to name one bean I'd take with me to that proverbial desert island, it'd be the navy bean, which I would soak and then braise with a ham hock or some other permutation of smoked pork. I could come real close to living on that. With cornbread.

Kay,

I could just about live on beans and cornbread too, and that memory of the fresh picked purple hulls is very old and very cherished. I was so disappointed. I screwed up every single dish in the dinner that night, and most of it was my fault. I haven't thrown out the other half of the package and will report back when I cook it.

Whenever I hear this song, I always thinks that modern day prisoners would be glad to be fed well-prepared cornbread and beans. I know I would anytime.

I recently bought and cooked some Pict Sweet speckled butter beans, and they were just about perfect. It was probably the evil cold I'm still trying to shake/kitchen spirits when I tried to cook the purple hulls. I will try again. I will also go back for some Pict Sweet fresh frozen crowders and more butter beans.

Cyberider · September 22, 2016

I like just about any kind of bean. If it doesn't have enough flavor on it's own, there are plenty of things to season it with. When the weather is cool and I have the time, I'll cook a pot of dry beans and freeze the leftovers. If I have no leftovers, a can of beans is quick and handy. I rarely have meat at home so beans are a good alternative source of protein. Beans are an amazing food and a staple for me. Love 'em!

lindag · September 22, 2016

I really love beans of all kinds and have always felt good about taking the extra time to used dried beans. So how surprised was I to learn from Cooks Illustrated (my go-to source) that it is actually far better to used the canned ones now because those that are dried are quite often old and dried out.

And the canned beans are subject to much greater quality control than the dried variety.

So, I will try to use up my stockpile of dried beans but will convert to canned.

(CI did say the one exception was the heirloom beans, ((such as Rancho Gordo.))

SLB · September 26, 2016

Rancho Gordos are outstanding!

There are other good beans too, tho: Baer's Beans (It's easiest to get these if you live in Maine); Elegant Beans (fully set up for online ordering); and Purcell Mountain Farms (same).

I also find the regular ole' mass-produced beans to be plenty fresh if you get them from grocers in neighborhoods where people eat a lot of beans. Mass-produced beans aren't going to taste as good as heirloom beans, but I just season them differently. The CI recommendation for canned . . . well, other than chickpeas, I can't really get behind that. I mean, I guess they're alright in a pinch (well, not the Green Giant ones. Those are terrible!). Admittedly, it's been several years since I used canned beans; but backalong they were definitely not notably superior to a dried mass-produced bean.

Meanwhile, lindag -- there's a gigantic, wonderful bean thread of many years' wisdom: https://forums.egullet.org/topic/36312-cooking-dried-beans/?page=12

ElainaA · September 27, 2016

If you have a garden try growing and drying your own. Incredibly different from store bought.

Okanagancook · September 27, 2016

Yes, thank you ElainaA for putting me on to fresh she'll beans. I am planting tons next season.

kayb · September 27, 2016

On 9/22/2016 at 0:43 AM, Thanks for the Crepes said:

Kay,

I could just about live on beans and cornbread too, and that memory of the fresh picked purple hulls is very old and very cherished. I was so disappointed. I screwed up every single dish in the dinner that night, and most of it was my fault. I haven't thrown out the other half of the package and will report back when I cook it.

Whenever I hear this song, I always thinks that modern day prisoners would be glad to be fed well-prepared cornbread and beans. I know I would anytime.

I recently bought and cooked some Pict Sweet speckled butter beans, and they were just about perfect. It was probably the evil cold I'm still trying to shake/kitchen spirits when I tried to cook the purple hulls. I will try again. I will also go back for some Pict Sweet fresh frozen crowders and more butter beans.

Oh, my...you had me nodding my head to Bill Monroe. Grew up on bluegrass.

Actually, some of the best beans and cornbread I ever had was at the Crittenden County Jail (home of the infamous jail slaw!) when I was a young reporter covering cops and courts. It was cheap, easy, and there was generally a trusty in the house who had some acquaintance with cooking.

chromedome · September 29, 2016

On 22/09/2016 at 11:11 AM, lindag said:

I really love beans of all kinds and have always felt good about taking the extra time to used dried beans. So how surprised was I to learn from Cooks Illustrated (my go-to source) that it is actually far better to used the canned ones now because those that are dried are quite often old and dried out.

And the canned beans are subject to much greater quality control than the dried variety.

So, I will try to use up my stockpile of dried beans but will convert to canned.

(CI did say the one exception was the heirloom beans, ((such as Rancho Gordo.))

I like that CI explains the thought process behind their recommendations, because often it tells me where we parted company.

I think if you live in an area where beans are not widely used perhaps you might get old and stale ones at the supermarket, but it's a long stretch to go from there to a blanket condemnation of dried beans in general. I've bought 'em in 6 of Canada's 10 provinces, and only occasionally found myself with a batch of elderly and "cookproof" beans...usually when I was desperate and picked them up at a convenience store, or something like that.

(Disclosure: Freshness is a complete non-issue for me now, because my parents grow and dry their own and share 'em with me.)

Thanks for the Crepes · September 30, 2016

18 hours ago, chromedome said:

I think if you live in an area where beans are not widely used perhaps you might get old and stale ones at the supermarket, but it's a long stretch to go from there to a blanket condemnation of dried beans in general. I've bought 'em in 6 of Canada's 10 provinces, and only occasionally found myself with a batch of elderly and "cookproof" beans...usually when I was desperate and picked them up at a convenience store, or something like that.

That's been my experience with dried beans too. We have a thriving Latin American community here and they strongly influence what is available at mainstream grocers and even dollar stores around here. Almost all packages of dried beans are now marked with an expiration date and many of them are marked with year of production. I like the La Rosa brand of dried beans I can get at the Dollar General. They brag about being "this year's crop".

I did have a pack of field peas that were terrible years ago, but they are not a real popular bean, although they can be very good if fresh and prepared properly. They probably sat around too long before I bought and tried to cook them. I also encountered some dried red kidney beans I cooked in chilli con carne for three days in a crockpot without softening, but that was over thirty years ago, and probably my fault. I added the acidic homegrown tomatoes before the beans were softened. Do not add acid or sugar to beans before they are getting soft, y'all.

All that said, I like canned beans too, and I can get fresh frozen ones that are very good too. If you want the very best bean experience, you must pick, shell, cook and serve them on the same day. It's a tall order, and I haven't had the pleasure in decades.

Ranch Gordo's beans, while I deeply respect what he's trying to do, are just priced outside my budget.

kayb · September 30, 2016

Am putting RG Mayacoba beans on to soak in a minute. It'll be my first time to try them. Think I'll cook them with some diced up bacon, salt and a little pepper.

Darienne · June 5, 2023

Don't know how I could have missed this topic. Love, love, love beans and pulses. Eat them every day almost. Life without beans. I don't know if I could do it.

Breakfast is usually Mujadara (or one of the dozens of different ways you can say and spell that): lentils, brown rice and caramelized onions. Yummm.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Darienne (log)

SLB · August 18, 2023

I write with an intense exasperation, bordering on rage: what is up with the restaurant beans being served crunchy? Or is it al dente???

Whatever it is, I have HAD IT!!! First of all, I thought beans had to be fully cooked to be, you know, not poisonous. As an adult eater who has broadened her horizons, I do recognize that one does not have to cook beans to busted, which is how I understood them to be done in my home of origin. Repeat: busted.

I accept that beans are done when soft and not busted. In fact, beans for soups and salads need to be done and not busted. I get it. I do it! All the time.

But I am now being served beans that are goddamn CRUNCHY in fine dining settings. [I'm sorry for the profanity. But as I said, I have HAD it.]. The last time was from a wonderful, wonderful chef, in an otherwise brilliant cassoulet prepared to go with a four wine flight: '89; '94' 95' and 96 Chave Hermitage Rouge. I say this to say -- this was no half-assed game going on here.

But. CRUNCHY.

If it was the first time for this, I would possibly think it was, you know, a mistake.

But it's not the first time. It's a lot of the time. Matter of fact -- it's getting to where I'm expecting beans in fine-dining establishments to be served crunchy.

Is this what the pros are doing now??? Why? Why? WHY????

liuzhou · August 18, 2023

6 hours ago, SLB said:

First of all, I thought beans had to be fully cooked to be, you know, not poisonous.

Well, that's incorrect. Beans and other pulses contain the lectin, phytohaemagglutinin which is toxic in high amounts unless destroyed by boiling the beans for 10 minutes at 212℉ / 100℃.

Thereafter they are safe even if undercooked. Red kidney beans have the highest concentration of phytohaemagglutinin so it's best to be more than usually careful with them.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/healthy-tips/are-red-kidney-beans-toxic

Undercooked beans are unpleasant, I agree, but not poisonous if prepared correctly.

Edited August 18, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

weinoo · August 18, 2023

3 hours ago, SLB said:

I write with an intense exasperation, bordering on rage: what is up with the restaurant beans being served crunchy? Or is it al dente???

Whatever it is, I have HAD IT!!! First of all, I thought beans had to be fully cooked to be, you know, not poisonous. As an adult eater who has broadened her horizons, I do recognize that one does not have to cook beans to busted, which is how I understood them to be done in my home of origin. Repeat: busted.

I accept that beans are done when soft and not busted. In fact, beans for soups and salads need to be done and not busted. I get it. I do it! All the time.

But I am now being served beans that are goddamn CRUNCHY in fine dining settings. [I'm sorry for the profanity. But as I said, I have HAD it.]. The last time was from a wonderful, wonderful chef, in an otherwise brilliant cassoulet prepared to go with a four wine flight: '89; '94' 95' and 96 Chave Hermitage Rouge. I say this to say -- this was no half-assed game going on here.

But. CRUNCHY.

If it was the first time for this, I would possibly think it was, you know, a mistake.

But it's not the first time. It's a lot of the time. Matter of fact -- it's getting to where I'm expecting beans in fine-dining establishments to be served crunchy.

Is this what the pros are doing now??? Why? Why? WHY????

What restaurant is doing that?! Because it’s WRONG. I had beans at Foul Witch recently, and they were cooked till soft and luscious and not bursting.

**MaryIsobel** · August 18, 2023

On 9/29/2016 at 4:54 AM, chromedome said:

I like that CI explains the thought process behind their recommendations, because often it tells me where we parted company.

I think if you live in an area where beans are not widely used perhaps you might get old and stale ones at the supermarket, but it's a long stretch to go from there to a blanket condemnation of dried beans in general. I've bought 'em in 6 of Canada's 10 provinces, and only occasionally found myself with a batch of elderly and "cookproof" beans...usually when I was desperate and picked them up at a convenience store, or something like that.

(Disclosure: Freshness is a complete non-issue for me now, because my parents grow and dry their own and share 'em with me.)

I think my problem with old dried out beans is on me. I will "discover" a bag of beans in my pantry and think - oh, I'm sure they're still good - they're dried beans! I am slowly but surely learning...

weinoo · August 19, 2023

6 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

I think my problem with old dried out beans is on me. I will "discover" a bag of beans in my pantry and think - oh, I'm sure they're still good - they're dried beans! I am slowly but surely learning...

Nothing really gets better as it sits in a pantry.

**MaryIsobel** · August 19, 2023

32 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Nothing really gets better as it sits in a pantry.

No argument from me. Like I said I am slowly learning that "Sorry, Mom, but beans rice and pasta do not last forever." Child of a child of the Depression.

weinoo · August 19, 2023

8 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

No argument from me. Like I said I am slowly learning that "Sorry, Mom, but beans rice and pasta do not last forever." Child of a child of the Depression.

Basically why I'm moving all my rice and stuff like grits, polenta, oatmeal, flour, etc. to the fridge/freezer. The beans are gonna have to wait, but I hope to use up my supply while it's still relatively fresh, and then only have a pound or two of beans to deal with at any given time.

lindag · August 19, 2023

I have a rather large stockpile of dried beans in my pantry.

I'll make it my job to sort through those in dispose of any that seem to have reached their end. Anymore it seems that canned beans are preferred and I plan to be a little more selective when buying. There really aren't a lot that I need to keep on hand anyway these days.

weinoo · August 19, 2023

As an addendum, I think when using beans of questionable age, they must be overnight soaked.

weinoo · August 19, 2023

Just now, lindag said:

There really aren't a lot that I need to keep on hand anyway these days.

Exactly. Kind of why I quit the bean club - after figuring out the ones I really like and being able to purchase those by the pound at a close-by store.

SLB · January 18

So, after filling my freezer with the New Beef, I am broke and having beans as the side these days more often than not. Which led me to return to the Time Life Dried Beans volume from "The Good Cook". This was actually the volume that I first came across in a vacation rental, which led me to buy the whole series on ebay.

Anyway, I'm currently making a Moroccan recipe, "White Beans in Sauce". It involves a pound of white beans; water; TWELVE TABLESPOONS of butter (!); FIVE onions (!); and saffron. Oh, yeah, also parsley at the end.

I am expecting to like this sauce, a lot.

Katie Meadow · January 18

On 8/19/2023 at 7:05 AM, weinoo said:

Exactly. Kind of why I quit the bean club - after figuring out the ones I really like and being able to purchase those by the pound at a close-by store..

Yes, and the great thing about RG beans, besides the amazing variety, is how fresh they are. But I find that if I keep them more than a few months they do get old and need more soaking and cooking, just like shelf-stale grocery legumes. So I try to order enough to qualify for free shipping, and then order again as needed. My favorites are not often stocked where we shop locally. My husband loves RG popcorn and I'm addicted to Indio oregano and the pineapple vinegar, so shipping. I don't have a huge amount of freezer space, and a lot of it is taken up by stocks of various kinds, so I don't freeze many cooked foods. But nothing freezes so well as a pot of beans nor makes such a satisfying emergency meal.

Yo! @SLB: mo buttah mo bettah, right?

SLB · January 18

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Yo! @SLB: mo buttah mo bettah, right?

Right as rain!

Dinner is: White Beans in Sauce; hamburgers; fennel salad.

Edited January 18 by SLB (log)

AlaMoi · January 19

okay, it's just my own personal experience cooking stuff , , ,

but using dried pulses/beans/peas/lentils produces a seriously superior final dish than "canned" stuff

texture is different - basically "beans" vs "mush"

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