Last week, though, I buckled down and did an experiment. I'm finding that cooking is easier...or less threatening...if I call it "experimenting." In experiments the result is important--but not for the same reasons the result is important in regular cooking.
(got to love those upside down hands!)
It turns out beans are easy. They take some time to cook. But the cooking part isn't difficult. Mostly you set a timer and when it beeps you change the temperature or location of the beans. And guess what....my beans tasted great. Good great. Great enough for me to want to serve them to you when you come over. Yeah. That good. And it was my first time. Ever. The maiden voyage and I'm already boasting about my skills. This could be you. I'll show you how:
I tried two recipes: the one on the can* and the one from the internet* (see bottom of post).
What I started with: beans, recipes, and an open bag of animal crackers (seriously. the cook needs snacks when cooking something that takes more than an hour).
Rinse your beans (check for stones and whithered beans)
Pull out any undesirables, then put the beans in a pot. Cover with water. Turn on the heat and get the beans boiling for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and let em sit. (Isn't that so easy! Easier than pasta which has to stay cooking and at my house seems to constantly boil over the sides of the pot).
(don't you love the tin foil tag I put on that front pot? I was worried I'd confuse which pot contained which recipe)
When the timer goes off--start cooking the beans again (this is where one pot of beans went into a slow cooker and the other stayed on the stove). Add in some spices and bacon (yum!) and then let them cook (I used 2 slices of bacon, 1tsp. of salt, 1/8 tsp of pepper, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder).
The can recipe asks you to have the beans cook for 2 hours on the stove. The internet recipe put them in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours. I started cooking both at the same time, seasoned them the same--and the slow cooker won hands down. Better flavor. Slightly smooshier beans. The flavor though...wow! It was tasty.
I also liked the slow cooker because I didn't worry about turning it on and leaving the room. The stove method made me nervous.
So...that's it. I'm kind of sad that I haven't been doing this before. All of this time I could have had amazingly good beans for so little effort.
Give it a shot and tell me what you think. Or if you have a good recipe for mexican food style beans--I want it.
Recpies:
Can Recipe (from LDS food storage can) (I halved the recipe):
1 1/4 c beans
boil for 2 mins in 4c. of water
cover and set aside to soak for 1 hour
drain water, rinse beans
Add 3 c. water and seasoning and simmer for 2 hours.
Internet Recipe (I'm writing it out below in case the link goes bad)
1 1/4 c beans
water to cover
boil
sit for 1 hour
DON'T DRAIN; put in a crock pot
add water to cover
add seasonings
Cook on high for 4-5 hours
Seasoning: 2 slices of bacon, 1tsp. of salt, 1/8 tsp of pepper, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder
