Chickpeas in the Instant Pot

[Shel_B]

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!

[TdeV]

Hi @Shel_B, nice to see you back here. @blue_dolphin has a chart of appropriate cooking times for Rancho Gordo beans in the Instant Pot. From her notes, chickpea (garbanzo) needs 10-14 minutes soaked or 32-35 unsoaked.

 

I eat a lot of Rancho Gordo beans of all varieties and, because I want slightly chewy beans (underdone), I have taken to always soaking the beans for 6 hours (or overnight) and not pressure cooking them. I use the slow cook option, medium heat, for a few hours. If we're approaching dinner hour and the beans aren't done yet, I raise the slow cooker temp to high heat for a while.

 

 

 

Edited January 27 by TdeV
Spelling (log)

[Darienne]

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

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.

 

And, dear sir, you have been sorely missed.  

[blue_dolphin]

Nice to see you back here, @Shel_B!  

I've only cooked unsoaked RG chickpeas in the Instant Pot, generally in an emergency situation as pressure cooker beans aren't my preference so I can't offer any experience with 8-hour soaked beans.

The spreadsheet that @TdeV mentioned gives an Instant Pot time range of 10-14 min for soaked RG chickpeas. Given your target of a firmer bean that can tolerate additional cooking, I'd aim at or below the lower level and plan to finish cooking them to the desired point once the pressure is released using the sauté function so you can easily taste them for doneness. 

[Shel_B]

14 hours ago, Darienne said:

And, dear sir, you have been sorely missed.  

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

[Shel_B]

23 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Nice to see you back here, @Shel_B!  

I've only cooked unsoaked RG chickpeas in the Instant Pot, generally in an emergency situation as pressure cooker beans aren't my preference so I can't offer any experience with 8-hour soaked beans.

The spreadsheet that @TdeV mentioned gives an Instant Pot time range of 10-14 min for soaked RG chickpeas. Given your target of a firmer bean that can tolerate additional cooking, I'd aim at or below the lower level and plan to finish cooking them to the desired point once the pressure is released using the sauté function so you can easily taste them for doneness. 

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 👍

[Shel_B]

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!

[blue_dolphin]

If you want to soak, and you want a firmer bean, I'd pick a time below the spreadsheet guidance of 10-14 min for soaked garbanzos and finish using the sauté function to simmer, if necessary, after a 10 min natural pressure release.  I'd probably go with 8 min if you want them really firm.  If you're soaking at room temp and you don't have hard water, I don't think there's going to be a big difference between a 6, 8 or 10 hr soak.

If you want to try unsoaked, the spreadsheet guidance is 32-35 min.  I'd go with 30 min and expect to finish with a good simmer using the sauté function after a 10 min natural pressure release. 

 

 

[Shel_B]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:21 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Given your target of a firmer bean that can tolerate additional cooking, I'd aim at or below the lower level and plan to finish cooking them to the desired point once the pressure is released using the sauté function so you can easily taste them for doneness. 

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

Edited January 31 by Shel_B
Grammar (log)

[weinoo]

Or, to put @blue_dolphin's thoughts a slightly different way, you can always cook beans more if they're underdone, but you can't cook them less if they're overdone.

 

Personally, I've taken to NOT cooking beans in the pressure cooker, but only on top of the stove, and after using the quick-soak method (which now I can't find, but I'm pretty sure I read that this method produced the best finished product).

[Shel_B]

On 1/31/2024 at 5:39 AM, weinoo said:

Or, to put @blue_dolphin's thoughts a slightly different way, you can always cook beans more if they're underdone, but you can't cook them less if they're overdone.

 

Personally, I've taken to NOT cooking beans in the pressure cooker, but only on top of the stove, and after using the quick-soak method (which now I can't find, but I'm pretty sure I read that this method produced the best finished product).

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.

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, Shel_B said:

while some have said that the stovetop produces better results, no one has explained in what way the results are better

 

Actually, this has been discussed, though maybe not here.  Something about concentration of flavors of both the bean broth and the beans as they absorb said broth, due to the much slower cooking and reduction of the broth, due to the fact that the cooking is not being done in a sealed vessel in a very short period of time. 

 

If you really want to see what the IP/pressure cooking is good at, make some chicken stock.

[TdeV]

The Instant Pot CAN cook beans without pressure (just like a stovetop). Keep in mind that the IP slow cooker choices of temp are high, medium, low and these translate to a traditional slow cooker temp of high, low, and warm.

[weinoo]

Here's a decent article about how to get the most flavor from beans...

 

Epicurious

[Tropicalsenior]

10 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Here's a decent article about how to get the most flavor from beans...

 

Epicurious

Thanks! That's the kind of testing that I like to see. I've been cooking mine in the oven and as they said the flavor suffers. Next time I make them I will follow the directions in this article to a T.

[Shel_B]

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.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

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.

 

Thanks for that followup. I've noticed that potatoes cooked in the IP keep their shape better and it's good to know chickpeas will do that too. I'll go back up and see the precise method you used, and try that next time around.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

I was pleasantly surprised.

Sounds good.  Also, not surprising to me as I've often observed that beans often firm up after cooling. Sometimes it means they need more cooking, sometimes, (like yours) it means that overcooking has been averted.  

[Shel_B]

On 2/2/2024 at 4:48 AM, weinoo said:

If you really want to see what the IP/pressure cooking is good at, make some chicken stock.

@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.

 

 

[Shel_B]

On 2/2/2024 at 6:04 AM, weinoo said:

Here's a decent article about how to get the most flavor from beans...

 

Epicurious

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

[weinoo]

On 2/8/2024 at 11:17 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Sounds good.  Also, not surprising to me as I've often observed that beans often firm up after cooling. Sometimes it means they need more cooking, sometimes, (like yours) it means that overcooking has been averted.  

 

I believe it's the resistant starch and they go through a sort of retrogradation?

[Shel_B]

On 1/31/2024 at 5:39 AM, weinoo said:

Personally, I've taken to NOT cooking beans in the pressure cooker, but only on top of the stove, and after using the quick-soak method (which now I can't find, but I'm pretty sure I read that this method produced the best finished product).

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.

[TdeV]

I've noticed that no one has yet referenced how to cook beans in the Rancho Gordo manner.

[weinoo]

With some of the beans I cook, the rapid boil seems to split or burst them, so I prefer a more gentle start once they have reached the boil.  I also think covering the pot doesn't allow the full flavor of the bean broth to develop; I need some evaporation.