The bean: Black beans
Amount: 1-pound bag
Method: No soak in the oven. I used a Dutch oven, covered the rinsed beans with water, added a little salt, put the lid on, then popped into a 325 degree oven.
Cooking time: About 2 hours. I opened the lid after an hour to stir the beans, and the beans were actually boiling so next time, I'll probably turn the heat down to 300. After another half hour I salted the beans and turned the oven off, then let cool in oven for about 15 more minutes.
Storing? In the fridge
Result: These were so good. I could have eaten a bowlful right away. In fact, I probably ate the equivalent of a bowlful straight out of the pot. The beans were incredibly soft and so tasty.
However, I think I'm still having issues with the beans getting too hard after being refrigerated. I made a vegetarian batch of this chipotle espresso chili and it was fantastic, but I didn't think the beans held up their original melt-in-your-mouth softness.
I guess beans really should be used as soon as you finish cooking them. Or, maybe if I just way over-cook them, it will compensate for the refrigeration. I do like the oven method - it's easy and seems to allow for an even cooking temperature.
No comments:
Post a Comment