Photo of beans from this morning
 

I started the whole process this morning around 10:30 a.m. It is now 1:24 p.m. here.

I started with dry beans, put in water, brought a boil, let simmer for a little while, drained, rinsed, added back to pot of clean water. Simmered until about 12:30 p.m., added spices/salt/diced tomatoes.

They are basically done, but I wanted to add some carrots and onions.

I snapped a photo (not the best) so you can see the skins have popped, and I mashed one so you can see how soft they are. I love beans!

:D...and now you've made me hungry! i love love beans too. i don't cook mine on the stove top anymore. i put them on to soak overnight in crockpot, rinse in morning (unless they are black beans) and cook on hi til they start to soften then add meat (hubs has to have meat in everything) seasonings, beer, broth from roasts that i save & freeze, onions, garlic & canned tomatoes. i make enough for dinner, one quart to mil and, hopefully, enough for one more meal into freezer. perfect quick dinner on nights after we've spent the day in town for shopping etc.

I don't know why but I did not have the best of luck with crockpot beans. And I don't have a clue. Maybe if I let them soak overnight like you did. I know I let those beans cook for hours and hours and they got soft.

i became the family cook when my grmother & i moved in with my family. my daddy taught me to cook. he taught me about soaking beans, then putting them on to finish cooking slowly thru the day on the wood stove. i started using a crockpot after my grfather bought me one. i would soak the beans, rinse, then turn them on & go to work. i am a retired rn. worked anywhere from 8 to 16 hrs before heading home to my nice hot dinner. i set them at low since i never knew how long i would be gone. now i start them at high and turn them down to medium after they start to soften & i add the seasonings & other ingredients ..which have been warmed in microwave if necessary. adding salt to early prevents them from becoming soft. i've come along way from cooking beans on woodstove ..and they are always great! try the crockpot again ..there are crockpot recipes on web that may give you better, more in-depth info than i have here. one thing tho, one of my bean cook books said to not rinse black beans, so i no longer do. but all beans should be soaked with the lid off to allow gases to escape, and the rinsing helps a bit more with removing the gas producing enzymes that beans are famous for.

I love beans but they don't love me.

I will try again. He only eats one bowl but I can eat beans for a couple of days. I ended up adding chili powder, garlic, and my new smoked paprika spices. Yum yum! A bag of dried beans makes a lot of beans. So I usually make a small pot for us.

....well, I learned something new! The only beans I have ever "cooked" are split peas and lentils....and rarely, due to the gaseous results! Never "soaked" either kind before cooking.....will try that next time and it may open a few new Windows - and not to get fresh air in!

Lentils sound good too...

after a lifetime of bean love ...i guess i'm now 'acclimatized' :D great link ..thanks sibram!

[h=4]Acclimatization[/h]Most dieticians teach that the best way to reduce bean-related flatulence is to regularly eat small portions of beans. The stomach will slowly learn how to process the legumes, and over time, even vast quantities should not cause gas. Starting out with a big bowl of beans is likely to cause problems, even if they were soaked or exposed to baking soda.

Yeah, really, People eat burritos all the time with refried beans, etc. So it must be ok for some to eat them. Black beans are popular now to put in salads, etc.

You don't need to soak split peas or lentils! If a package of beans is old (I don't know how old), then often they don't soften up while cooking.

We love beans too, and they are so good for you. A couple of days ago I made a big pot of bean soup with all types of beans, hamburger meat, lots of onions and garlic, diced tomatoes with green chilies, jalapenos and all sorts of spices. Then, I made a pan of cornbread to go with them. We took a small crockpot of the bean soup and a small pan of cornbread over to a friend who just got out of the hospital.

This is what I have heard also. The more you eat beans, the less trouble you will have with gas. And they are so good and good for you. Several times a week should do the trick.

I think that chili powder really made my beans taste like a can of chili beans...still good but different.

OK, I sauteed some cabbage and zucchini, added the beans to the mix and it tastes great. Balances out that chili taste...I love it.

I am the only member in our household that loves beans but I really enjoy everyone's opinions and suggestions. I soak my navy beans over night and then rinse and put in a crock pot and cook on slow all day. Actually, the beans are better the second and third day! I only add chopped onion and put a ham slice in for flavor. Does anyone use ham or salt pork?

Not me, I don't eat much meat, but my mom always put salt pork or sometimes cottage ham in her beans.

i don't use salty pork anymore, don't know why. i like ham in white beans of any type, tho. especially i love white bean soup. i introduced my hubby to black beans a few years ago ...and now that's all he wants me to make, but there are sooo many wonderful types of beans & i love them all. i BBQ all summer ..a lot of pork & some beef roasts. i make my own seasoning rubs for the most part tho i will use a combo of some over the counter stuff that i mix in various ways. i save the roast bones and and meat scraps ..freeze for beans all winter. i also save the drippings from the roast, i add them to a large empty peanut butter jar i keep in freezer, when it's full i start another jar to fill. usually one jar is good for a 6 qt crockpot of beans. i could eat them 365/6 & did with my son while hubs was away on jobs (construction) ..but hubs doesn't like them that often & considers them winter food. when i make my own seasoning mix i often use crushed chipotle powder. have to be careful ..mil doesn't eat spicey. another idea for flavor ..one of my bean recipe books said that one of the i gredients that makes mexican chile beans so special is that they grate up dark unsweetend chocolate i to the pot & a little cinnemon. i use baking chocolate squares or the mexican style hot chocolate grated into the pot. it's not that sweet but the cinnemon & chocolate is wonderful.

try adding them to some wide noodles too. the special flavor of beans is wonderful with just about everything. my son is making a dish that he copied from an oriental restaurant that he & his little girls love. they call it yummy bowls. he steams rice and they add their own sides to the top of the rice --nori, black olives, onions and black beans ..whenever we visit now they have daddy make yummy bowls just for me lol ..it's delicious

Yes they are very versatile..a simple nutritional addition to the menu.

I make beans once in awhile and I eat them. my son doesn't for some reason. But then I eat many things he does not!

Husband will eat one bowl and that's it...So I have to watch how much I make. I really dont have that much freezer space to cook up quantities and freeze. That's fine too.

I still have some of the last batch of beans left and I can have those tomorrow.

I tried that calzone in a mug today, and he ate two of those. Then made the rice krispy treat in a mug, which he ate. Its been a mug day.