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Canned Bean Convenience for Dried Bean Benefits
My mother always cooked dried beans for her recipes. They taste better than the ones that come in a can and they have no added sodium. The canned beans are very easy and practical and when I make a recipe (with calls for beans) on a whim, canned were easier. Until Melissa d’Arabian gave a great tip: Cook the beans when you get home from the supermarket and freeze them in zipper bags, you can divide them into portion sizes you prefer (I think 2 cups = one can). The beans are then already cooked and ready to pop into your favorite recipes. Apparently my mom and my sister already knew this, but no one filled me in on the trick.

Dried Beans

Dried Beans

My first attempt to cook beans was a mess, the package instructions must have been jumbled during the English translation. Now, I think I got the hang of it.

How to Cook Dried Beans:
Rinse and sort dried beans. Cover with several inches of water. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak for about 3 hours. Drain and rinse beans. Add fresh water (about 2 inches above beans), 2 bay leaves, minced garlic or minced onions to beans and bring to a boil. Cook beans on a slow boil for about 2 hours. Drain beans and prepare for recipe.

Five Reasons to go Dry

1. Better flavor

2. Less sodium

3. No preservatives

4. No BPAs       So we all know that plastic water bottles and such contain BPAs, so it’s best to get a BPA free reusable bottle. Until recently I didn’t know that tin cans have a lot of BPAs in them.

5. Save money

What is your favorite bean recipe?

How about Ham & Three Bean Soup, Chick Pea Curry, or White Bean Brownies.

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