Kitchen Quick Tips - Freezing Cooked Dry Beans

Cooked dry beans (eg. kidney, navy) freeze nicely.  Package in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag.  They will keep for up to six months in the freezer.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Storing Beans

Beans should be stored in a dry, airtight container at room temperature.  While they will keep indefinitely, they are best used within a year as they tend to lose moisture over time taking longer to soak and cook.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Cooking Beans

Add an eighth tsp of baking soda to the soaking water when soaking dry beans.  This reduces the indigestible sugars that can cause flatulence.  Rinse beans after cooking if possible to reduce intestinal gas further.

Three Days of Canning Dried Beans

While our previous house was on the market and once we sold, I purposely let our supply of home canned foods dwindle down.  The end result was less cases of filled jars to move but ultimately running out of some of the home canned staples we rely on.  One of those foods were home canned legumes like kidney beans, red beans, navy beans as well as some of the various products I can using legumes like a variety of brown beans and bean soups.  I spend three days last week canning up a few dried bean products.  I am nowhere near the amounts I need for a year but it was a start.

Home canned beans are a convenience product in the pantry.  Even though I have a large supply of dried beans and I often cook from scratch, the home canned beans are great for those times I want beans but don't have the time for cooking from scratch.  Home canned beans range in cost from 10¢ to 30¢ per 500 ml jar depending on the type of bean and the bean product.

At the end of Day 1 I had from left to right, 3 - 500 ml small red beans, 1 -500 ml small red/black bean mix, 4 - 500 ml black beans, 4 - 500 ml red kidney beans and 4 - 500 ml dark red kidney beans.  The jar to the right with the ring still on did not seal so went into the fridge leaving me 15 jars for the pantry.  It had a silver metal 2 piece snap lid on that many home canners don't like because of increased seal failures.  You will notice I am using the re-usable Tattler lids more in home canning.  They currently have free shipping so I ordered more.

Salted pork belly is an ingredient commonly used in brown aka baked bean recipes.  It is that flavour that makes baked beans so tasty.  This is a cut of meat from the belly of the pig that has been salt cured but not smoked.  You can find larger pieces at most butcher shops.  Smaller pieces about 4 oz are usually available where bacon is found in the supermarkets.  If you cannot find salted pork belly you could cure your own using Morton's Tender Quick or you could substitute a thick cut bacon.  Substituting will give a bit different flavour as most bacon is smoked.  Thick cut bacon is also more expensive for this particular use but the remainder can always be used for another dish.

We had some of the tastiest baked beans form Mike's Smokehouse BBQ and Grill in Tampa, Florida.  I have been working on a clone recipe that can be home canned.  I'm almost there but not quite.  Day 2 I ran a test batch of my newest pork & bean recipe.  I did tweak the method a bit by putting less beans in the jars.  That did give better results for the jars that sealed (right) but two jars did not seal.  I used all Tattler lids my explanation is I somehow missed one of the two critical steps - tighten then turn back a quarter inch before putting in the canning AND immediately tighten when removed from the canner.  So, I am chocking the seal failures for this load as user error.  The nice thing is I had a chance to taste the product to see how close I came.  I still need to do a bit more tweaking.  In the background are soaked beans ready for that day's canning.

I had just a little of the sauce from the pork & beans to use up.  From left to right, I ended up with 1 - 500 ml jar of plain navy beans, 2 - 500 ml jars pork & beans, 4 - 500 ml jars maple baked beans, and 7 - 500 ml jars of dark red kidney beans.   Most of this canner batch had the Tattler lids.  I did have one seal failure (far right) and that was a Tattler lid so I ended up with 13 jars for the pantry.

Over the three days of canning I ended up with a total of 31 jars of dried bean products for the pantry.   It's not a bad start towards restocking but I need a few more canning sessions to get my bean stores up where they should be.  Any jar that did not seal is not wasted.  It goes into the refrigerator to be used within a few days.  Seal failures are not the evil monster some home canners make them out to be.  While I am certainly not used to having this many seal failures in only three canning sessions, it is an opportunity for me to tweak the product, do a bit of troubleshooting and perfect my technique.  Since I plan on switching over to using only Tattler and glass inserts, both of which are re-usable (aka cost effective and eco-friendly) perfecting my technique using them is a must.  All in all, I am pleased with last week's canning results!

Kitchen Quick Tips - Dried Beans

In general 1 cup (250 ml) of dried beans will give a yield of 2 cups of cooked beans (500 ml).  Smaller beans will give a slight lower amount while larger beans will give a slighter higher yield.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Cooking Dried Beans

When cooking dried beans save time by using the quick soak method.  Save more time by cooking extra to be used through the following week or freeze the extra for later use.

Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

An overlooked section of the grocery store is the aisle dried beans are on.  While many will toss a can or two of beans in their cart, they breeze right by the dried beans not realizing that if you want to save on your grocery tab, dried beans is the way to go.  Cooking dried beans from scratch is very easy and they taste better than canned beans.  Cooking from scratch on average costs about a third of the price of canned beans.  They are ideal pantry items as beans will keep well over five years without spoiling. 

Garbanzo beans are also known as chickpeas.  They are popular in Middle Eastern cooking and the primary ingredient in hummus, a wonderful dish that can be used as a dip or spread.  Chickpeas are also a popular offering on salad bars.  They are high in protein, the perfect addition for salads, soups, stews and vegetarian dishes.  Chickpea flour is available as well made from ground chickpeas and used much the same as you would use other thickeners or flours.

Chickpeas are very easy to cook from dry and like all beans they taste so much better when cooked from scratch rather than commercially canned.  They are easily home canned as well and even home canned taste better than commercially canned chickpeas.  I usually use the quick soak method although you can soak the beans overnight if you want to. 

leg  Rinse chickpeas and cover with fresh water After soaking drain and cover with fresh water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil two minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let sit one hour.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer until tender about 40 minutes.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Baked beans are a family favourite.  While many buy baked beans already made in cans then doctor them up, the best baked beans are made from scratch, cooked long and slow to develop their rich flavour.  Dried navy beans are normally used for baked beans.  These beans cost about $1.89 per 900 g package or about 90¢ per pound.  One pound of dried beans is 2 cups that will give a yield of 4 to 5 cups cooked beans depending on the type of beans.  This is the equivalent of about 2½ to 3 cans (398 ml/14 oz) of prepared baked beans.  As a cost comparison the dried beans come in at a third of the price or less of prepared baked beans and they are not difficult to make.  The nice thing about homemade is you control the flavour.

I made a batch of slow cooker baked beans a couple of days ago.  The slow cooker is an ideal choice for the long, slow cooking required for baked beans.  It does not add as much caramelization as oven baked or the smokiness of grilled baked but it does give quite favourable results.  The beans can cook all day without the worry of checking the outdoor grill.  A slow cooker is less expensive in terms of electricity usage than the standard sized oven. 

I used my smaller 2.5 quart Rival (model 5025) for the baked beans.  It was the perfect size although the recipe could have been increased by half without a problem with respect to volume.  I developed the recipe as the end result came to mind.  The flavour was quite good.  I think next time I will add just a little browning (caramel) to heighten the flavour and deepen the colour.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

2 c dried navy beans
1 bacon end (about 2-inch piece)
1 c ketchup
2 tbsp fancy molasses
2 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp dry onion flakes
 3-4 drops liquid smoke

Rinse the beans then cover with water and soak overnight or use the quick soak method.  Drain beans and pour into large saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook 1 hour until beans are tender.  Drain and pour into slow cooker.  Trim excess fat from bacon end.  Add remaining ingredients to beans, mixing well.  Set slow cooker to low.  Cook 4 to 5 hours.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Substituting Canned Beans for Dried

Some recipes call for using dried beans by the pound.  If you don't have time to cook dried beans from scratch the substitution is:

• 1 lb dried beans equals 58 ounces of canned beans.

A Simple Dinner

Life has an uncanny way of getting extremely busy.  Those are the times when putting a fast, easy meal on the table is a must.  Many rely on fast food take-out for these types of dinners but nutritionally these foods are not good value for you food dollar and they put a nice sized dent into your pocketbook.  There is another way, and that is to rely on easy to put together 15 minute and 30 minute meals.

There are a multitude of ways to make fast, easy meals just that.  I like to keep quick meal starts ready to use in the freezer.  These include pre-seasoned cooked ground beef, ham cubes, cooked BLSL seasoned chicken strips, and other cooked meats (eg. roast beef slices).  This takes a bit of cooking ahead but really if you are cooking ground beef for dinner cook extra for the freezer as well.  I keep cooked beans and quick to cook meats in the refrigerator and of course being a home canner I keep several jars of ready to use foods on the pantry shelves (eg. meatballs, chicken, beans).   Bulk cooking sessions preparing several quick meal starts in a couple of hours can go a long ways towards stocking your freezer helping to remove the temptation to stop for take-out.

Sausage is a delicious quick cooking meat that is rather versatile.  It can be served on a bun, as is for the meat serving or cut into bite sized pieces then added to other dishes.  Bulk sausage can be formed into patties or it can be browned and crumbled to add to casseroles, soups and stews.  Sausage ranges in flavour from very mild to spicy and everything in between.  Aside of quick cooking and flavour, sausage is inexpensive.  Breakfast sausage is usually mildly seasoned and may have a maple syrup flavouring added.  Despite its name breakfast sausage is not just for breakfast.  I served breakfast sausage links with buttered broad egg noodles and black bean salad for a quick, easy meal that took less than 15 minutes to prepare.  The black bean salad is served cold but it could easily be served warm as a topping for rice.  

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Let's Talk Beans

In many frugal circles when questioned how to reduce food costs, the top recommendation is to eat more beans.  Beans are nutritious, inexpensive, tasty, filling and quite versatile.   Beans really are one of the easier foods to cook as well and the store well for extended periods of time.  You can cook them on the stovetop then finish off in the oven or slow cooker for many bean dishes or fully cook them by either desired method.  There is a large number of bean varieties, each with their own texture and flavour so there is no need to get bored eating the same variety of beans.  Today's Frugal Kitchens 101 focuses on beans and why they should be a staple in your frugal pantry.

• nutrition - Beans are very nutritious so on a cost per ounce you are getting a lot of nutrition for a very small amount of money.  They are high in fiber and protein, low in fat and sodium, and contain no cholesterol.  In short, beans are good for you!
• inexpensive - Commercially canned beans cost about 89¢ for a 14 oz (398 ml can).  This measures out to just under 2 cups at a cost of 6¢ per ounce.  Dry navy bean cost about $1.79 for a 900 g (1.98 lb) bag or about 90¢ per lb.  One pound of dried beans (2 cups) gives a yield of 4 to 5 cups of cooked beans depending on the bean.  At a 4 - 5 cup yield you get 32 - 40 oz of beans at 2¢ to 3¢ per ounce or roughly half the cost of commercially canned beans.
• convenience - Commercially canned beans are already cooked so need only to be heated for serving.  While commercially canned beans are quite inexpensive they should be avoided for several reasons.  The cans are lined with plastisol containing BPA, a problematic hormone mimicing chemical with negative implications for brain development.  Cans have a high energy cost as far as manufacturing and are not recyclable in all communities so they end up in the landfill making them a pour choice of packaging for trying to be eco-friendly.  Commercially canned beans are often high in sodium, may contain high fructose corn syrup (implicated in ADD/ADHD) and lacking in flavour.  Dried beans can be home canned for the convenience without the problems of commercially canned beans.  Cooked beans also freeze nicely so you can cook up a large batch then freeze in portions sizes for later use.
• versatility - Beans can be used as: a side dish, casserole featuring mainly beans, a meat  substitute, dips, spreads, in soups and the list goes on.  They can even be mashed and added to breads and muffins to increase the nutritional value. Whole beans can be added to meat based dishes (eg. chili) to maximize the protein content while reducing the amount of most costly meat.  Cooked beans can be mashed then mixed in with meat as an extender for burgers and meatloafs or seasoned as used as a complete meat substitute (eg. veggie burgers).  Cooked beans pair nicely with rice, another very frugal food choice.  Here the beans are usually seasoned then served as a topping on the rice.  Dried beans can also be sprouted for a rich source of Vitamin C.  Bean sprouts are used in many Asian dishes but can also be added to breads and muffins to increase the nutritional value.  Dried beans can also be planted in the garden where they will yield fresh eating as well as beans for drying. 
• variety - There are many variety of beans ranging in size from quite small (eg. turtle, azuki, mung) to rather large (eg. lima beans).  They come in a wide range of colours as well - reds, greens, blacks, whites, browns, yellows, mottled, speckled and two-tone colours.  Some varieties may only be available in certain regions.  For example, while I can get several bean varieties here I had not seen the small red bean used for red beans and rice until I went to an area where this dish is quite popular.  There I found an abundance of the small red beans and yet no mung beans were to be found.  Different beans have different flavours.  Depending on the bean the flavour is mild, sweet, earthy, nutty, buttery, or slightly bitter. 
• cooking - Ideally beans should be soaked overnight but if you forget there is a quick soak method by simply covering with water then bringing to a boil, remove from heat and let sit 1 hour.  Drain then cover with fresh water and simmer until tender, 30 to 80 minutes depending on the bean.   They can be can then be finished off in the oven or slow cooker if making a longer cooked.  However, beans can also be cooked directly in the slow cooker after the soaking period making them even easier to cook but the cook time is about 12 hours on low.  You could set them up to cook overnight in the slow cooker if desired or if you are an early riser put them on at 5 AM to be cooked in time for dinner.  Beans that will be home canned do not need to be cooked first.  Some are even omitting the soak period but I find I get better results using a quick soak for home canned beans.  They actually cook in the jar during the canning process.
• storing beans - Surprisingly dried beans will keep well for 5 years or more.  Some have reported 10 year old dried beans being a little tougher but still quite edible.  Proper storage will not affect sprouting potential.  That makes dried beans a frugal must have in your pantry.  Once cooked beans can be kept in airtight contains for up to 3 days in the refrigerator so you could easily make beans for dinner Sunday night then use the leftovers in other dishes

Bon Appétit!

Fundraiser Beans

Years ago when I was knee high to a grass hopper school fundraisers meant selling almond chocolate bars.  That's the only kind offered which was a shame given some folks don't like nuts in their chocolate bars.  We our kids were in school the fundraiser was also selling chocolate bars and chocolate covered almonds.  At that time we lived in an urban area with if I remember correctly nine elementary schools and one secondary school.  That meant we got hit quite often with kids selling chocolate bars.  How can you say no to such a worthy cause.  The real problem is and especially in these trying economic times and quickly rising food costs many simply to not want to spend their food dollars on chocolate covered almonds or chocolate bars.  The schools have recognized this problem and are now looking at other food items that people are more interested in buying.

Our oldest grandchild is in pre-kindergarten.  Their school fundraiser this year were packets of The Bean Ladies dry bean one pot meal mixes.  They specialize in non-genetically modified Ontario grown products.  In terms of a fundraiser, each package was $5.50 so higher in cost than bulk purchased beans but 50¢ cheaper than buying the same from their online store.  However, $2 from the sale of each package went to the school so really the bean packet cost $3.50 with a $2 donation to a good cause.

I bought the chuckwagon chili (5-7 servings), homestyle hearty bean soup (8-10 servings), lickety-split pea soup (4-6 servings)and Mom's sausage bean casserole (6-8 servings).  Each package has the recipe on the front.  All of the packets have some type of meat (eg. sausage, pork hocks, ground beef) ranging from ½ to 1½ lb as an additional ingredient along with a couple of standard pantry items.  A couple of the mixes have a seasoning packet included.  Even when factoring in the higher cost of the bean mix and the additional ingredients, the result is still on the frugal side.  I will discuss the total costs for each mix as I make them.  I made the Mom's sausage bean casserole on yesterday so watch for the discussion on that this coming Friday.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Dried Beans

Years ago I participated on a frugal forum where one of the underlying themes was saving on the cost of meals.  The general consensus was that if you didn't eat rice and beans at least three times a week, you weren't being frugal enough.  Now, in terms of frugal, the definition actual means to get the best value for your dollar not the cheapest.  So a $5 item that last 6 months then needs to be replaced is not as frugal as one that cost $100 but will last your lifespan.  When it comes to frugal with respect to food the main criteria is nutritional value for your dollar.  In this regard, dried beans are a frugal choice.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 discusses dried beans and why they are a frugal choice. 

• cost - In general dried beans are quite inexpensive depending on your location.   A bag of kidney beans cost about $1.29 here.  If I home can these I end up with 7 - 500 ml jars at a total cost of 24¢ per jar.  The price per pound is attractive.  For example, store bought bagged beans 25 lb small red beans at $24.15 works out to 96¢ per pound.  However, bought in bulk beans are cheaper than bagged store bought beans.  In general 1 pound of dried beans equals 2 c dried beans that will give a yield of 4 to 6 c cooked beans depending on the variety.  So if dried beans cost 96¢ per pound and yields 2 lb cooked the price per lb cooked weight is 48¢.  Allow ½ to 1 c per person.  At 96¢ per lb with a cooked yield of 2 lb would give 16 cups or 16 to 32 servings at a cost of 3¢ to 6¢.  It's easy to see how inexpensive dried beans really are.
• variety - Dried beans are available in a wide variety of types ranging from the small mung, red and turtle beans to the larger kidney and lima beans.  Each variety differs in colour and flavour as well. 
• nutrition - Cooked dried beans are high in fiber, iron, magnesium and protein, low in fat and cholesterol. 
• versatility - Dried beans can be used as a meat extender, meat substitute or as a side dish.  They can be used in soups, chilis, stews, main dishes, salads, wraps, casseroles, or appetizers.  Dried beans once cooked can be frozen or they can be soaked then home canned for convenience.  Dried beans can easily be sprouted for use in salads, sandwiches and stir frys. 
• storage - Dried beans will store for years in a dry, dark, cool location.  Store in large covered bins or large glass jars with lids to protect against insects, rodents and humidity. 

Bon Appétit!

She Said - Black Beans

My second entry for the Second Annual He Said/She Said Contest from Jean Paré's Company's Coming Heart-Friendly Cooking is black beans (Pp. 14).  Surprisingly I very seldom cook beans from scratch on the stovetop.  The reason I don't cook them on the stovetop is I can beans (eg. kidney, navy, black, etc) instead.  Canning eliminates the long stovetop cooking for beans while giving me a convenient ready to use product for the pantry.  I choose this recipe for the experience of cooking beans on the stovetop and the extra flavours it offered.  The black beans will (?) also be used in another of my contest recipes. 

Black beans are one of my favourite beans.  They can be mashed to use in place of meat for tacos, taco salad or as a meat extender in meatloaves.  We enjoy them as a side with a little butter as well. 

Cooking the black beans on the stovetop was quite easy.  They did take the full 55 minute cooking time.  Despite the added ingredients the beans only had a bare hint of the extra flavours.  I noticed more splitting than with the home canned version.  I put two 1 cup packages of the beans into the freezer as I have froze black beans before so I want to see how they are when thawed. 

Black Beans
source: Jean Paré,  Company's Coming Heart-Friendly Cooking, 2003, Pp. 14

1 lb dried black beans
water to cover

14 c water
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic
1 strip lemon peel*

Pour beans into a bowl and cover with water.  Let sit overnight.  Drain.  Pour beans into large pot.  Add 14 c of water and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil on medium-high.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer 55 minutes or until beans are tender but not mushy.  Drain.  The beans can be portioned out in 1 c size and froze if desired.

*I used most of the peel of one lemon.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Left-over Beans

Mash left-over beans (navy, kidney, pinto etc) to make refried beans or add them to meatloaf as a protein extender. Mashed left-over beans can be seasoned then froze to be used as needed later.

Home Canned Kidney Beans & Lima Beans

Even though I cook the majority of our meals from scratch I do like having homemade convenience foods in the pantry. Home canned beans are one of those convenience foods. I decided to can kidney and lima beans today. In an earlier entry I mentioned canning kidney beans but did not give the method. The first question is why would you can beans when they are so inexpensive in the stores. Consider that a bag of beans will cost me about $1 and give me about 16 - 500 ml jars at a cost of 6 cents per jar. Economically this is considerably cheaper than store bought canned beans bought on sale at 79 cents per can.

Home Canned Kidney and Lima Beans

Dried beans are extremely easy to can but you do need to pressure can. Dried beans can be canned anytime throughout the year as long as you have a supply of dried beans. These are convenient to have on the pantry shelf ready to use. Economically it is best to can a full canner load. There are several methods of canning beans including the USDA recommended method. I used a different processing method based on a long soak followed by slow heat then processing. The jars look quite nice!

I ended up with 17 - 500 ml jars of kidney beans, eight were red kidney beans and the remainder were dark red kidney beans. I only had enough lima beans for 3 - 500 ml jars but we don't use a lot of lima beans so that should be fine for now. While on first glance this looks like a lot of kidney beans consider that 3 to 4 jars go into a batch of chili so I really only have enough kidney beans for four large batches of chili meaning I will be canning kidney beans again the first part of the new year.

Canning Dried Beans
kidney, lima, navy, etc.

Soak beans overnight or 12 hours. Drain. Fill sterilized 500 ml jars about 2/3 full with the soaked beans. Pour water over the beans leaving 1 - inch headspace. Wipe the rim and adjust two piece caps. Place the jars in the pressure canner and put the lid on. Heat on medium heat for 30 minutes. Increase temperature to high and vent canner according to your manufacturer's recommendations. Pressure can 75 minutes at 10 lb pressure for 500 ml (pint) jars. Turn off heat. When canner has depressurized, remove jars and allow to cool. Check for seals then label and store.