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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

6 hours. If you don't have time to wait that long, sort them and cover with water. Bring to a boil, boil for 3 minutes, then shut off heat and cover with a lid. Allow it to sit undisturbed for 1 hour, then drain the liquid, cover with water and continue to cook until soft and tender. Depending on the type of bean and intended use, different ingredients can be added after the water is changed.

I just recently made some soup with beans in it. I put them on to soak about 7:30 at night. They were ready to cook at 7:30 in the morning.

it is 8 - 12 hours

6-8

heres a better method I learned from my grandma..

take the beans you want to soak.. put in a large saucepan on stove, cover completely with water and room to swell.. then bring the water to a rolling boil.. turn off as soon as it boils.. cover, set off the heat and allow to sit covered for 1 hour.. uncover and "walah" soaked beans.. proceed with whatever recipe you want..