How make soft beans?

[theguythatcooks]

[post deleted by Suzanne]

[Suzanne]

Reporting back after cooking yet another pot of beans (RG's Good Mother Stallard): I've given up on soaking; I just cook the beans a little longer. With relatively fresh dried beans and the 5-minute hard boil, it really doesn't add much more cooking time.

As for adding salt: since I find the process of cooking beans something on the order of reducing stock -- I start the pound of beans with as much as 5 quarts of water, and simmer them uncovered, so sometimes I end up with almost no liquid left -- I would rather add the salt at the end of cooking anyway, lest the end product be too salty. What has worked well for me is to cook the beans absolutely plain -- no salt, not even mirepoix -- and add the flavorings as soon as the beans are cooked to the degree of doneness I like, while they are still hot. They absorb the flavors very well as they cool (or as they sit until I serve them). Works for me.

This thread just shows that there is no "one right way" to cook anything. That makes me very happy.

[96khzz]

If you live in a place like Texas or Arizona you will usually have fresh beans around, even at the grocery store, because they are very popular and more people know how to cook them. If you live in the north where they may not be so popular you should always go to the hispanic markets. Especially if you are buying black, or pinto, etc.