tessagin

My mother used to soak the beans overnight in cold water. She stirred them once in a while also. Then she would drain the cook on high but not bring to a boil. then she discovered Northern beans in a jar and that's all she wrote. No cooking beans after that.

slbram17

Just made a small pot last night..boiled for a little while. When softened added a can of diced tomatoes and spices. New was a little cinnamon. LOVE...

slbram17

Beans are so cheap...won't go hungry...

maviskw

Most people here seem to be cooking the beans after soaking, but not saying when they add the spices.
They need to be cooked in just water until they are at least a little soft before you add the tomato.
Then you can bake.

quiltbuddy

Many good recipes and high quality beans here on the Camellia bean web site. I love beans!

http://www.camelliabrand.com/

slbram17

My mom never added tomatoes..probably just the ham or bacon piece. I don't add meat and only add tomatoes and salt after beans are softening.

slbram17

Lots of different bean varieties on the camellia website.

SewingSew

I grew up eating dry beans. In our family, the beans would be rinsed, then soaked overnight, then rinsed again, and then brought to a boil and, reducing the heat, simmered slowly on the stovetop for 3-5 hours until they were done. At that point, we would fry up about 6 pieces of fatback and pour the rendered fat into the pot of beans. They would then be served with home-made biscuits or hoe-cake, or cornbread. The bread made the beans a complete protein.
Now, I rinse my beans, then put them in my crock-pot before I go to bed and turn it on low. And usually, I think the ratio of beans to water is 1 part beans to 4 parts water. I let the beans continue to cook overnight and the next day. Most of the time they are done around 3pm to 5pm the next day. Although it is dependent on the type of bean that I cook. I usually cook pintos, or kidney beans. When I cook navy beans, or black-eyed peas, it takes less time. I gauge the cooking time with smaller beans by opening the crock up in the morning and determining how much longer they need to be cooked. If I am making split-pea soup or cooking lentils, the cooking time is much more minimal.

The crock-pot that you use is very important. The ones that they sell in the stores now have thin crocks in them. Those crocks cook too fast and they turn the beans to mush. What you want to do is go to eBay and look for a used crock-pot that has a heavier pot inside. Trust me, it makes all the difference in the world. And, by the way, I read somewhere that the rule of thumb for removing the lid of a crock-pot is that you have to tack on 20 extra minutes for every time you lift the lid, so that it can return to the temperature it was at before you removed the lid.

Here is something else that is important. Never add tomatoes to a pot of dry beans before they have cooked to the texture you want, because the acid in the tomato will cause your beans to stay hard. This also applies to rice.

You owe it to yourself to make baked beans in a crock-pot. Look for a recipe online and try it. They are wonderful. Split pea soup is also excellent in a crock-pot.

Also, I have cooked beans in my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker and I was very impressed. They cook fast and, while the bean is not quite as nice as when I use a crock-pot, they are still pretty good and so convenient.

And, speaking of nutritional value in regard to reduced sugar diets using the glycemic index, the more al-dente' you cook your beans, the lower the glycemic index. For those counting their carbohydrates or trying to reduce their sugar, this is a good tip.

moonwork42029

I soak my beans (navy or great northern) during the day and put them in the crock pot at night so they can cook all night. I let them cool some in the morning and then put them in the frig to reheat for dinner.

I plop in celery, tons of chopped onions, diced or shredded carrots at the beginning along with either ham, bacon or jowls. I also add garlic and some dried red chili for a little kick. Later I'll dump in rotel tomatoes.

Mine are not your typical "southern" beans but we like them with a little more flavor.

quiltbuddy

After thinking about the original posters problem more, another factor that would cause beans to not soften would be HARD WATER. Also, cooking beans at a high altitude is going to take longer.