Replies

What I have to say is based on the pinto bean, and my years of making them. It is also based on my culinary school experience and years of feeding USAF troops and cooking at fine dining restaurants.

Dried beans should be picked over for dirt, rocks, twigs, etc and rinsed several times.

Beans can be soaked overnight and then rinsed before cooking, or a quick method is to bring beans to a boil with water well covering them (they will absorb water), allow to sit for an hour or two, covered, then rinsed and cooked.

Whatever the depth of the beans in the pan, I put 2x that depth in water over them and bring them to a boil, and then reduce them to a simmer. Now is the time to add flavorings that you may have. That can include onions (wild or stored), garlic (wild or stored), fatty meats like pork or possum, hot peppers, salt and pepper.

Depending on the age of the beans and your altitude, it may take from 3 to 6 hours to cook the beans until they are tender.

Do NOT allow beans to scorch. That ruins them, and there is no way to make them edible.

I am always happy to answer food and cooking questions, and my history includes living in a shack in the woods on a mountain without power for over two years, so I've got experience in 'survival' cooking.

/johnny

I don’t know if you have ever read Little House on the Prairie books, but I remember Ma Ingalls added baking soda to dried beans when cooking which supposedly helps with their digestibility. Also I have read it is helpful to add ginger.
Most recently I read about some Indian spices that are commonly used to de-gas beans, which are a major component of their diet. I bought “Ajwain seeds”. To use, multiply your # cups dry beans by 3 (= X). Add 1/4 tsp. Ajwain seeds per (X). So 2 c. dry x 3 = 6, which calls for 1 1/2 tsp. Ajwain seeds.