Thursday, November 20, 2008

Under Pressure


My husband came home from the store one day and remarked "Look at all the dried beans there are! And they're so cheap! I bought 5 bags!"

This was about 2 years ago. They're still in the pantry, but in a moment of hunger+below freezing temperatures+ I really wanted white beans= I'm starting an experiment. The problem with dried beans is that they need to soak overnight, then cook for at least an hour, so it's not something you can whip up after work. Another problem is that after waiting 16 hours or so for some type of food, you tend to want something more exciting, like ice cream, rather than, well, cooked beans that you could have had out of a can. However, the Homespun warrior never wastes food, so I'm taking down some of those beans. I think the trick is this: You still always need to soak them, but if you put them in water when you go to work, you cover the minimum soak time and can cook them when you get home in a pressure cooker. I realize not everyone has one of these, and I don't use mine that much, but I'm going to start trying because it's truly amazing. The beans are ready to go into the pot and the cooking time, as stated by the Presto Pressure Cooker Manual, is .... 1 minute. Seriously.
I'll report back later on the outcome, but I'm pretty fired up. Beans will do that to a person.

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