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I've had this happen, too. Frankly, I think sometimes the beans are just old and it's not your fault.
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Beans, I cook beans all the time. I cook all kinds of beans and here is what I do. Try to get the beans that are the paler in color. Throw them on the counter and pick through them for stones (yes they have stones sometimes) wash and soak for two or three hours or overnight. If the water is hard, add a 1/4 of babking soda. Make sure to rinse all that out later and it will foam a bit when cooking.
Do not put any seasoning in the beans, especially not salt, until the beans are soft..then add your ham bone and seasoning or whatever and let it cook for another hour or so... |
The light colored pinto beans are the newer beans, the darker ones are older. You should always look for the lighter beans.
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Originally Posted by sew_southern
I've been cooking dry beans in my slow cooker for 10 hrs., making baked beans. I haven't used dry beans in a few years so decided to try them again. I soaked them overnight and they've cooked in my sauce all day, they are as hard as they were this morning! What is the problem? Do beans go bad and not cook right? At this point we'll be having tonights dinner tomorrow night.
MNM |
BAKING SODA!!! add a little and cook a bit, it softens them right up!
salt also keeps them from getting soft. dont add anything until they are done. |
Originally Posted by dsb38327
I once had a friend say the weather controls when the beans will or won't get soft. She believed if it was a non-cooking bean day they could cook forever and would never get soft.
I have always believed my beans stopped cooking when I added the seasoning. I try to be sure I don't put anything but water in them until they are soft. I have adapted a new low energy way to cook them for anyone who wants to give it a try. I have done it lots of times and it has worked everytime so far. I add water about 2" over the top of the beans, bring the water to a boil, turn off the burner and cover the pan. When I pass through the kitchen the next time I turn the burner on long enough to bring the water to a boil, turn the burner back off. I keep doing this until the beans are soft. I do this as I am doing laundry and such. It is amazing how soon the beans are as soft as if they boiled for hours. |
I had this problem once.....turns out I had set the slow cooker on the Warm setting instead of high........DUH
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Never have a problem with dry beans. Just soak over nite and boil the next day. Good eating. I did my first Pinto beans the other day. I used a smoked turkey leg and chicken Bouleon... With in 2 hours they were ready to eat. Oh so good. I put a bay leaf in for tast. I was so suprised how fast they cooked. Mari
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Here in Colorado you need to use a pressure cooker to get beans to soften. The high altitude makes things cook at a lower temp, so they never get hot enough just boiling on the stove.
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Did you ever solve your bean issue? I read your original post. Could you possibly have accidently used your beans in the oven (dry) for like a weight inside a pie crust? If dry beans get too hot they might not ever cook right.
I use the crockpot to make all my dried beans and have never had any problems. So I suspect the ones you got hold of were either stored in a very hot place before you bought them or you got a bag of rocks parading as beans. I hope this helps. |
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