How To Cook Beans From ScratchLearn how to cook beans from scratch, and you might be surprised. It's easy and the results are scrumptious. "Why should I go through the trouble when I can just use some canned beans" you ask? Although canned beans are convenient, they're NOT the healthiest way to go since they usually contain lots of sodium and preservatives. Plus, once you learn how to cook beans and get the hang of it, you'll be whipping up beans and happily munching away on them every day!
There are MANY beans to choose from, and each has their own distinct flavor. Let's take a look at some of the most popular beans that are available for you to play with.
Kidney (or red) beans are the bean of choice when creating your very own red beans and rice recipe, which you can create quickly and easily with the information contained within this site. (Refer to Brown Rice.) By the way, red kidney beans contain a toxin that can only be destroyed with thorough cooking, so never eat your red beans raw or under-cooked.
Coming in 2nd place for the most popular of beans is pinto beans. You might not recognize them in their dried form. Once they're cooked, they lose their famous markings and simply turn pink. They're used most often when making chili and refried beans. By the way, pink beans (popular in the Southwest) can be substituted for pintos.
Black beans (one of my favorites) have a very mild, earthy, sweet taste. Because of their dense texture, they are perfect when combined with spicy flavors and hot seasonings. Black beans are also known as turtle beans.
Garbanzos (or Chickpeas) have a distinctive flavor which is slightly nutty, yet offer a sweet taste. Garbanzos are used in dishes such as hummus since they break down into a delectable and dense creamy texture. You will also see them floating around in soups (think Minestrone) because they offer a dense and firm bite that really help to fill you up.
I'm including soybeans here for one reason only -- to let you know that while many foods are made with soybeans, they're not (in all actuality) the best when eaten on their own. They're difficult to digest for most people, and their taste is very bland and neutral. Refer to the Soy section for more information on the preparation of foods made with soybeans. If you decide to cook them, be sure to choose organics since soybeans are well known to be genetically modified. Ack! Now, having said all that, black soybeans (or black soya beans) are far better tasting and cook up beautifully. But their skins are thin and can easily break open during the cooking process. For this reason, you will add salt to the cooking water (unlike most beans in which the salt makes it difficult for the beans to cook). Black soybeans are a "low carb" bean.
Adzuki(or Aduki) Beans have a strong flavor that is a delicious mix of sweet and nutty. They are a small Japanese red bean, that are rounded with a point on one end. While some may not necessarily like the distinct flavor, they do tend to be less beany-tasting than most beans and digest rather easily. Adzukis have a bit of a meaty flavor and tend to go well with foods that traditionally taste good with meat such as potatoes. How To Select Beans
No matter which bean you choose, the rules are the same. If you don't find what you're looking for, or you're not sure on the age, ask your grocer about placing a special order. Beans can also be found online. How To Clean and Prep BeansBefore I show you how to cook beans, you'll want to learn how to clean and get them ready for the cooking process.MOST BEANS require soaking. Why? Because it helps your body to digest them easier, and it cuts the cooking time dramatically. Beans that DO NOT require soaking include Aduki (Adzuki), Black Soybeans, and Black-Eyed Peas. The soaking and cooking of beans remains a mystery for so many people. I should know because I used to be one of them! Hopefully the following instructions along with photos will help to take some of the mystery away so you can start cooking beans today!
Now, that wasn't so bad was it? ;O) And guess what? It's FINALLY time to learn how to cook beans. Whoo-hoo! How To Cook BeansCooking Beans With A Pressure CookerCooking Beans Without A Pressure Cooker Here's a helpful instructional video created by my husband Jeff, for those of you who learn best by example. Jeff teaches you everything you want to know about buying, storing, soaking and cooking your beans. Here he uses our preferred method of cooking beans, which is with a pressure cooker. Enjoy! Bean Vegan Flavor MatchesRED (KIDNEY) BEANS PINTO BEANS BLACK BEANS GARBANZO BEANS BLACK SOY BEANS WHITE BEANS (Great Northern, Navy, etc.) ADZUKI/ADUKI BEANS Bean Helpful Hints
If You Like Beans Try...LegumesDiscover the Nutritional Value of Beans:World's Healthiest Foods.com: Kidney BeansWorld's Healthiest Foods.com: Pinto Beans World's Healthiest Foods.com: Black Beans World's Healthiest Foods.com: Garbanzo Beans World's Healthiest Foods.com: Soy Beans World's Healthiest Foods.com: White Beans
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Perhaps the most popular of the beans, red beans (or kidney beans), have a deep red color and are chock full of great flavor. They're a strong bean, meaning that they hold their shape well when cooked, making them a great choice for vegetable stews and bean salads. 
Step 1: Measure one cup dry beans.
Step 2: Pick over beans. This means that you lay the beans out (I usually do this step in a long, flat Tupperware container) and pick through them, looking for rocks, stones and dried, withered and discolored beans, then discard.
Step 3: Measure triple the amount of water as beans, in this case 3 cups.
Step 4: Place beans in a container with a lid (I use a wide-mouthed jar) and pour water over beans.
Step 5: Let sit 6-8 hours (or overnight). The beans do not have to be covered, but you may want to for cleanliness sake.
Step 6: Admire your soaked beans.
Step 7: Drain and rinse beans.
What goes perfect with beans? 
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