thank you ...thought about checking boiling temp ...needed to get out to work some more before too hot. but all of my crock pots boil...the newer 6 1/2 qt, older 4 qt and small 3 qt ...all reach boiling on high & when temp reduced they continue to boil or look like a low bubbling simmer

this is a great thread. i don't know how popular or how often crockpots are used anymore, but for summer or winter cooking...they are great. too hot to be out w BBQ ..crockpot. i always came home from work to a hot stew or pot of beans. when son small ..dinner not a biggie --put on crock pot and go out to play kick ball :)) such a great invention!

:D :D Years ago, I was getting ready to catch a flight. This was before e-readers and I realized I had nothing to read on the plane so I dashed into the closest shop and picked up a paper back "Silence of the Lambs". I was clueless about the book. Got on the plane and started reading. Oh, boy! I was staying at a hotel outside Boston for a week and I did finish the book while I was there but I have NEVER watched the movie or the tv series. NEVER NEVER NEVER!

I have been cooking my beans in a crock pot for years, never had a problem. I start with the water as hot as I can get it! (I have an instant hot faucet). Wash my beans really good and I cook them on high setting. They are done in about 5 1/2 hrs and come out nice and pink!

Maria - Prescott AZ

Lucky for me I only use the red kidney beans once in a while, store canned ones that is in the sauce.Learn something new everyday, that for the link, ptquilts.

America's test kitchen just did a show on HOW to do it and have them turn out great. First of all if you don't want to let them soak all night then boil them for a few minutes and drain them well. This speeds up the cooking process too. You put them in the crock pot without salt until close to the end. Salt prevents them from getting as tender as they should. I've done beans in the CP without any issues too. One note, if you put a couple of bay leaves in the beans it helps prevent the stuff that causes gas.

I never cooked a pot of beans without burning them until I got a crock pot which was many, many years ago. The newer pots do get much hotter than the old ones. I took my old one to church and use it to keep food warm until time to eat. That way I don't have to carry the heavy crock back & forth from home.

Adding a couple of dashes of cream of tartar before cooking also helps alleviate the "unpleasant side effects" of beans.