If a recipe calls for beans to soak overnight, how long (in hours) is that?

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This is a handy little blurb about all the things you ever wanted to know about beans from recipesource.com

A BAG OF BEAN TRICKS

A bag of bean tricks to help you buy, soak, cook &
store dry beans.

Canned beans do not require additional cooking since
they have been thoroughly cooked in the canning
process, but there are several ways of preparing dry
beans for cooking. All start with a thorough
inspection for damaged beans and foreign material,
then washing in cold water. The next step, which is
highly recommended, is soaking the beans. This not
only helps make the beans cook faster, it also
improves flavor, texture, appearance and
digestibility. For maximum improvement of these
factors, it is recommended that the soak water be
discarded and the beans rinsed and cooked in fresh
water.

SOAKING TIPS: Hot-soak (preferred) and Quick-soak
method.

For every pound of dry beans, any variety, add 10 cups
of hot water. Remember beans will rehydrated to at
least twice theri dry size, so be sure to start with a
large enough pot. (Note: up to 2 teaspoons of salt
per pound of beans *may* be added to help the beans
absorb water more evenly.) Heat to boiling, let boil
for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set
aside for at least 1 hour (quick-soak method), but
*preferably* four hours or more. The longer soaking
time is recommended to allow a greater amount of the
gas-causing properties to dissolve in the water, thus
helping the beans to be more easily digested and
lessening the aftereffects. Whether you soak the beans
for an hour or several hours, remember to DISCARD THE
SOAK WATER.

COOKING TIPS: (for each pound of dry beans)

Standard method: Drain and rinse soaked beans; put
into a good- sized kettle. Add 6 cup of hot water, 1
to 2 Tablespoons shortening and 2 teaspoons salt.
Boil gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness
is reached.

Savory Method: Use standard method (above), but use 2
teaspoons onion salt and 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
instead of plain salt. Add 1 Tablespoon chicken stock
base or 3 to 4 bouillon cubes and 1/4 teaspoon white
pepper.

* Simmer beans slowly. Cooking too fast can break
skins.

* Acid slows down cooking. Add tomatoes, vinegar,
etc. last.

* Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (no more) per
pound of beans when cooking in hard water to shorten
cooking time.

* At high altitudes, beans take longer to cook. A
pressure cooker helps, but follow manufacturer's
directions. [Personal note: Tom says 1/2 hour in the
pressure cooker at 15 lbs pressure is equivalent to
cooking them overnight. Don't put too many beans in
the pressure cooker, as they expand: you don't want
to plug up the vent hole.)

* Refried beans are made from freshly cooked pinto,
pink, red or kidney beans, mashed and cooked in a
skillet with bacon drippings, lard, oil, butter or
margarine.

[ California Dry Bean Advisory Board ] Posted by
Shelley Rodgers. Courtesy of Fred Peters....Show more

Overnight means 8 hours, but 4 hours will do. Soaking the beans overnight is usually a suggestion, especially if your boiling the beans....Show more

About 8 hour is how long I soak beans. Rarely do I soak them over night but I soak them in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon. Remember to rinse the beans after soaking....Show more

Mom rinsed off the beans, then put them in the water, the last thing before she went to bed, and got up the next day, rinsed them, and started cooking them. The longer they sit, the more water they are allowed to soak up. 8 hours is good, that was Mom's way.
However, the food police say we are not supposed to do that any more, it allows bacteria to grow. Nobody ever got food poisoning from Mom's beans. You might want to try the cooking method some others suggested, and see which way you like best....Show more

I wouldn't allow them to soak more than 8 hours because the beans can split. But usually most people will start soaking them before they go to bed and will drain them when the get up in the morning....Show more