It is known that beans are a source of valuable protein, especially indispensable for those who, for some reason, have refused to consume animal protein. That is why bean dishes are always included in lenten menus and vegetarian diets. Boiled red beans work well in a wide variety of dishes: vegetable and meat salads, cold and hot appetizers, soups and main courses. Moreover, there are dozens of recipes for desserts and baked goods based on red beans. The value of beans is all the higher because the beneficial substances contained in them practically do not lose their significant properties during heat treatment.

It is very important to cook red beans correctly. You should not eat raw pods or the beans themselves, sprouted or undercooked beans. This limitation is due to the fact that raw beans contain a special substance - phytohemmaglutin, the use of which is undesirable. This toxin is destroyed by long-term heat, which is what happens when beans are cooked.

How to properly soak red beans

Before directly cooking the beans, they should be soaked in water for a sufficiently long time. It is not recommended to skip this step! Of course, soaking speeds up the cooking of the beans, but in addition, it promotes better absorption of the beans' carbohydrates, which means it helps prevent digestive problems.

    Soak the beans in cold water (!) at a ratio of 2 parts water to one part beans.

    It is advisable to soak red beans for at least 8 hours, but no more than 12 hours, to avoid possible fermentation of the water. For the same reason, if possible, it is worth changing the water every 3 hours.

    Keep in mind that “quick” methods of soaking beans, for example, with soda, lead to the destruction of beneficial substances.



How to cook red beans

Drain the water in which the beans were soaked, rinse the beans thoroughly and fill with fresh water so that the beans are covered approximately to the phalanx of a finger. Cook the beans over low heat, avoiding excessive boiling of the water and without covering the pan with a lid. Carefully monitor the water level in the pan and carefully add water as needed. The total cooking time for beans is about 1-2 hours. This depends on how long the beans have been stored. The older your beans, the longer they will cook.

There are several subtleties that need to be taken into account when cooking red beans:

    If you cover the pan in which the beans are cooked with a lid, the beans will turn brownish-brown in color.

    Salt the water at the very beginning of cooking the beans if you want to keep the shape of the beans, and at the end of cooking if you want the beans softened.

    Stirring the beans will help them cook. Do this only if you are preparing cream soup, pate or other dishes in which the shape of the beans is not important.

How to determine if beans are done

To determine whether the beans are ready, you can use a method often used by chefs in classic European restaurants. Having taken three beans out of the pan, try each one; if all are soft, the beans can be drained. If at least one of them is undercooked to your taste, continue cooking and use the same method to check after 10-12 minutes.

Take advantage of the rich collection of red bean recipes collected on our website to fully appreciate the taste and benefits of this wonderful legume.

Beans are a wonderful legume product that perfectly replaces meat in terms of protein content. It is she who is given the palm among the ingredients when fasting begins. It is tasty and nutritious, but the cooking time is intimidating.

Let's learn how to cook it quickly, so that not only on holidays in vinaigrettes or on fasting days in the form of a pate, it appears on our table in a variety of forms: in first courses, as a side dish, in baked goods.

To the question “How to quickly cook beans?” There are several secret answers.

Prepared in a microwave with a maximum power of 700 W

Prepare:

  • 150 g beans;
  • 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil;
  • 3-4 pinches of salt.

Beans have very hard grains and in order for them to swell, most often they need to be pre-soaked, preferably overnight. Rinse in water, pour into a deep container, and then fill with water at room temperature. Leave for 10-12 hours. Rinse before cooking.

This is the first of the quick cooking secrets. The second is to cook not in the traditional way - on the stove, but in the microwave. And the third - how to cook without soaking.

How to quickly cook beans without soaking

You can reduce the pre-soaking time by half by pouring not cool, but hot water, literally boiling water. Then you can leave them to swell/soften for 5 hours. For greater effect, cover with a lid.

After the specified time has passed, you will be able to see that the beans have swollen by about 2-3 times. Rinse it again in water.

Apply secret No. 2: pour the grains into a container special for the microwave, pour in vegetable oil, which will fill the beans with a velvety taste, as they will absorb it during heat treatment.

Add salt. You can choose other seasonings to suit your taste: vegetable seasoning, dried herbs, etc.

Pour boiling water into the container until it lightly covers the grains.

Another little secret– at this stage, you can add 1-2 pinches of soda to the container so that the beans cook faster. But be prepared for the fact that the soda produces an insane amount of foam, which you will have to remove every 1-2 minutes.

Adding sugar at the rate of 1 tbsp will also speed up the process. spoon per liter of water.

Cover the container with a lid and place in the microwave for 15-17 minutes at maximum power. At the end of the time, check if it is cooked and if not ready, add another 4-5 minutes. Remove the finished product and place it on a serving plate if you made it for a side dish, or let it cool if it is intended for a salad or other dishes.

Serve boiled beans with butter and chopped green onions, if you are not fasting, of course, or sprinkle with olive oil and add garlic.

Enjoy your meal!

Here's another way to quickly cook beans:

Beans, cultivated seven thousand years ago in Central and South America, still remain a favorite dish of many peoples and are among the ten healthiest foods on the planet. The famous legume, in ancient times considered the “meat of the poor,” is a source of protein and vitamins, and now we know about 200 varieties of beans. It comes in pods and grains, red, white, variegated, black, green, brown, large and small. This crop is grown in all countries except the Far North, and is popular with everyone who is thinking about proper nutrition.

The benefits and harms of beans for the body

Beans contain 24 grams of protein and 60 grams of “good” carbohydrates, making them very filling, nutritious and healthy. The low fat content (1%) makes beans a dietary dish that is desirable to be included in a lean and healing diet, since legumes provide the body with all vital substances and allow you to “hold out” between meals without high-calorie snacks. Beans contain iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese, vitamins B and K, and valuable fiber. Since beans are not completely digested, they serve as a kind of brush for the intestines, which sweeps out everything unnecessary from the body. In addition, beans prevent the aging of the body, are an excellent prevention of cancer and osteoporosis, strengthen the cardiovascular system, lower cholesterol and improve immunity. Interestingly, beans contain tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes the production of serotonin, the hormone of pleasure, so if you eat beans every day, you can get rid of depression, insomnia and bad mood. The benefits of beans are not in doubt, but people suffering from gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and stomach ulcers should not abuse legumes to prevent gas formation. You should also not eat beans raw, as they can be very toxic.

Beans in the cuisine of different countries

Beans are used to make soups, purees, porridges, salads, pates, snacks, vegetarian sausage, etc. At the same time, different varieties of beans have their own culinary “specialization” - white beans are better to stew, red beans are good for salads and soups, and black beans, amazingly tender and soft in taste, are ideal as a side dish without any additives. The unusually picturesque lima bean can decorate any dish, since its shape resembles a beautiful shell.

Mexicans make a spicy meat sauce from beans, Ukrainians add it to their signature borscht, Asians mix beans with rice, Georgians prepare lobio with aromatic herbs, and the French cook beans with spinach. By the way, sweet pies with poppy seeds and beans, served with honey, are popular in Ukraine. Beans are a universal product that has thousands of cooking methods and always has a bright, unexpected taste.

Secrets of cooking beans from the chef

Beans are a capricious product, but you can easily find a common language with them if you know some culinary subtleties. So, how to quickly and tasty cook beans to get maximum benefit and pleasure?

  • To combat flatulence, add thyme and mint to the beans before cooking - they will relieve the intestines of gases and give the dish a fragrant aroma.
  • If you want the overt bean taste to go away from the beans, be sure to soak them for 8-12 hours before cooking. After this, it is recommended to drain the water and cook the beans in new water, otherwise the cooking time will stretch to infinity, and the beans will lose their delicate nutty notes.
  • Take your time, cook the beans over low heat. After boiling, experienced housewives change the water again and add a little vegetable oil to it to soften the taste.
  • Salt the beans only at the end of cooking, otherwise they will turn out too tough.
  • To cook faster, add 1 tbsp to it every 10 minutes. spoon of cold water.
  • Do not cover the beans with a lid when cooking, and then they will retain their bright, rich color.

During the time of Cleopatra, beauties used ground and dried beans as powder, as it made the skin youthful and velvety. Modern women use beans exclusively internally, but the effect is the same!

How to quickly cook beans:

method one

Pour the beans, after sorting them out and clearing them of debris, into a saucepan and pour boiling water over them for about thirty to forty minutes. After this time, drain the water and add salt and two or three tablespoons of sunflower oil (or any other vegetable oil that you have on hand). Pour boiling water over again until it covers all the beans. Place on the fire (small) and make sure there is enough water in the pan. When it boils, you can add liquid, but not much.

How to cook beans quickly:

method two

Use the tools and devices available in every kitchen today. For example, a pressure cooker, microwave oven, convection oven and other electrical appliances that are useful and necessary for every housewife, making our lives much easier. Information on how to properly cook beans in such devices can be gleaned from the instructions for them, as well as from the World Wide Web.

Third way quick cooking of beans

With this option, baking soda is used. You just need to take it literally a pinch or on the tip of a knife. If you overdo it with the amount of soda, you can end up with mush rather than beautifully cooked beans. If a lot of soda is added to the water, the beans simply burst and become boiled.

How quickly cook beans: method four

In this method of cooking legumes, beans are poured into water and brought to a boil. Then the water is quickly drained, and the beans are again filled with cold water and cooked until fully cooked. This method allows you to cut the cooking time in half.

How to quickly cook beans: the fifth method,

method six

Preparation:
1. Soak the beans overnight.
I was taught (taught by a Georgian, and who better than them would know how to cook legumes correctly) how to quickly cook beans without soaking (and without consequences in the process of digesting them!!!): Pour the beans in cold water, cook, let it boil, cook 2 more -5 minutes, depending on the mass of the food being prepared. Drain the water, wash the beans in cold water, pour cold water into the pan with the beans and set to cook again, this time until tender with salt and spices. This method is really very fast and no one has ever complained about the consequences for the digestive system! It is suitable for cooking any legumes, and I also cook rice VERY quickly.

how to quickly cook beans

How to quickly cook beans:

method one

Pour the beans, after sorting them out and clearing them of debris, into a saucepan and pour boiling water over them for about thirty to forty minutes. After this time, drain the water and add salt and two or three tablespoons of sunflower oil (or any other vegetable oil that you have on hand). Pour boiling water over again until it covers all the beans. Place on the fire (small) and make sure there is enough water in the pan. When it boils, you can add liquid, but not much.

How to cook beans quickly:

method two

Use the tools and devices available in every kitchen today. For example, a pressure cooker, microwave oven, convection oven and other electrical appliances that are useful and necessary for every housewife, making our lives much easier. Information on how to properly cook beans in such devices can be gleaned from the instructions for them, as well as from the World Wide Web.

Third way quick cooking of beans

With this option, baking soda is used. You just need to take it literally a pinch or on the tip of a knife. If you overdo it with the amount of soda, you can end up with mush rather than beautifully cooked beans. If a lot of soda is added to the water, the beans simply burst and become boiled.

How quickly cook beans: method four

In this method of cooking legumes, beans are poured into water and brought to a boil. Then the water is quickly drained, and the beans are again filled with cold water and cooked until fully cooked. This method allows you to cut the cooking time in half.

How to quickly cook beans: the fifth method,

method six

Preparation:
1. Soak the beans overnight.
I was taught (taught by a Georgian, and who better than them would know how to cook legumes correctly) how to quickly cook beans without soaking (and without consequences in the process of digesting them!!!): Pour the beans in cold water, cook, let it boil, cook 2 more -5 minutes, depending on the mass of the food being prepared. Drain the water, wash the beans in cold water, pour cold water into the pan with the beans and set to cook again, this time until tender with salt and spices. This method is really very fast and no one has ever complained about the consequences for the digestive system! It is suitable for cooking any legumes, and I also cook rice VERY quickly.