Beans come in all different sizes, colors and flavors:from white beans and kidney beans to kidney beans, you name it. They also each have their own preparation method, but with these tips you ensure that you can get the most out of your bean dish, both in terms of taste and texture. Are you reading along?
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Most beans are only cooked after a while – between half an hour and two hours – so that the water in the pan starts to drain considerably after a while. Therefore, before you start cooking, put the beans under water with about 5 centimeters clearance, depending on the shape of your pan. If the water gets too low, you can always add more water, but the less you have to add, the better.
The best way to salt beans is to add salt to the water. For a bag of 450-500 grams you need at least 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the salt right after you submerge the beans, right at the beginning. Stir the water well to help dissolve the salt. During cooking, the salt will then slowly soak into the beans, giving them just that little bit more flavour.
Of course you want your beans to be rich in flavor, because that's when they are the tastiest. It is best to season your beans the way you salted them:via the water in which they are boiled. Delicious seasonings are crushed garlic cloves, half an onion and warm herbs such as rosemary and sage. You can also use spices if you feel like it, such as cumin, coriander, ginger and turmeric – yummy!
While beans can take quite a while to cook properly, it's worth the patience. Bringing the beans to the boil quickly over high heat does not exactly have a positive effect on the flavor you are trying to create. The secret? Let them cook for a long time and slowly, so you can get them just right!
Do you want to add something extra to your beans? Then add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to the beans as they cook. This will melt the fat in the boiling water and give your beans a richer taste. Do you want to create a completely unique taste? Then use some leftover fat, for example from frying steak or pork. Bet it will make your beans taste even better?
Different beans also have different cooking times. For example, white beans will cook faster than kidney beans. When the beans are almost ready, it's a good idea to try them every five to ten minutes:you want a bean that is soft, but not almost falling apart. There should be a little bit of resistance, but certainly no hard bite, which means you have to cook them longer!
When you store the beans without the juice, you lose a lot of the flavor. The juice is full of the essence of your beans and herbs, so if you keep them in the juice, your beans will taste much better when you reheat them. Try it!
