Bittman Basics
How to Cook Any Bean
Plus, 11 things you can add to any bean dish
Dried beans come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but when it comes to cooking and serving, they are essentially interchangeable — especially with this impossible-to-mess-up method. Figure 1 cup of dried beans will yield 2½ to 3 cups cooked, or 3 to 4 servings; a pound of dried beans will yield 5 to 6 cups cooked, or 6 to 8 servings.
All beans keep for months in the pantry.
Rinse the beans.
All beans should be cleaned before cooking. As you run them under water, rake through them with your hands and take out any withered, broken, or discolored beans or any pebbles. (If you’re soaking the beans before cooking, rinse and pick over them beforehand.
Cook slowly in plenty of water.
Put the beans in a large pot with enough water to cover them by 3 to 4 inches (Beans swell to twice their original size.) Start them out on high, then adjust the heat so they barely bubble, and cover. Vigorous boiling or inadequate water will make them bump into each other, which will rip their skins and cause them to fall apart. The bigger the bean, the longer the cooking time — lentils and split peas can cook in as little as 20 minutes, while chickpeas…
