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Beans – dried,canned,cooked. Kidney,garbanzo,pinto. White,black,red,pink... so many kinds! Bean are full of vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber that are important for your health. Because beans are high in protein, you can use less meat, chicken or fish in meals that include beans.

Bean Basics

1. Check the beans, a handful at a time, and throw away dirt, small rocks or beans that are broken, discolored or shriveled.
2. Place the good beans in a pot, strainer or colander.
3. Rinse a few times with cold running water.
4. Put clean beans in a large pot. Add water to cover the beans. Remember, dry beans will soak up liquid and can double or triple in size, so make sure you add plenty of water.
5. Soak the beans in one of these ways: *TO USE BEANS THE SAME DAY, follow steps 1 - 4. Bring water to a boil, and boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let the beans soak in the water for about 1 hour. *TO USE THE BEANS THE NEXT DAY, follow steps 1 - 4. Soak the beans overnight.
6. Drain the soaked beans. Rinse and drain.
7. Put beans in a large pot, cover with fresh water (see the chart for how much water to use).
8. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low. Cover the pot and cook beans slowly until tender.
9. You may need to add more liquid before the beans have finished cooking.
10. The beans are now ready to use in other recipes that call for cooked beans.
11. For some recipes that have a long cooking time (soups or baked beans) you can use the beans after step 6 and follow the directions in the recipe.
12. Freeze some cooked beans to use later. Simply defrost and use as you would use canned beans.