how to cook dried beans

I don't have much time, just give me the basics

How to Cook Dried Beans (the Tastiest Beans of All, if You Ask Us) | Bon Appétit — a four-step process
▶ Carla Lalli Music makes beans | Bon Appétit — a 20 minute long video, but it's easy to skip around
1. soak overnight, if possible
2. bring up to boiling, then reduce to a very low simmer
3. salt a little bit at every step, just about
4. skim off any foam that appears on top
5. add these things at the start of the long simmer:
  - garlic, though confit garlic is even better (these are all their opinions)
  - charred lemon
  - herbs:
    - coriander, fennel,
    - fresh herbs — oregano, mint, rosemary, thyme, sage
  - a "really generous" fat cap — olive oil, rendered lard/tallow, etc
  - black pepper
6. assemble your toppings: they used aioli and crisped bread crumbs
7. simmer for hours, until several beans come up at the right level of tenderness
8. near the end, add:
  - finalized the amount of salt
  - an acid to taste, such as a balsamic vinegar, white wine, or red wine
  - a little more of the same fresh herbs that were added before
9. serve, topped with aioli, breadcrumbs, and pepper

long-form articles

▶ Carla Lalli Music makes beans | Bon Appétit
- the key steps are — salt, fat, and time
- If Loving Beans Is A Crime, I'm Officially Screwed, the article attached to this video (scroll down halfway until the email starts)
- a third-party article discussing how good some of these steps are
- TODO: Carla has her own YouTube channel with lots more beans content! Process those videos.
▶ by Helen Rennie
- common problem #1 — my beans are all broken up
- problem #2 — I've cooked my beans forever, but some are still hard
- TODO: finish the common problems list
Serious Eats has done a lot of articles
Bon Appétit
- Your Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Dried Beans — It mentions 15 lessons! Lots of info here.
- Are Dried Beans Worth the Effort?
- 7 Tips for Making Your Best Pot of Dried Beans, Even If It's Your First
- Is Soaking Dried Beans Overnight Really Necessary?
- When You're Cooking Dried Beans, You're Already Halfway to Soup TODO: Read this article two more times!
- Say No to Mush: Common Dried Bean Mistakes to Avoid
- Bean Broth Is My Bone Broth
The Moment I Realized I'd Become a Bean Snob | The Bittman Project (a 'fat cap' is mentioned in this one)
MissVickie.com:

The "power soak" or "quick soak" fallback method, for when you didn't have enough time to soak them overnight:

Cooked Beans, the Quick-Soak Way | The Bittman Project
Bon Appétit says "Cover beans with 2 to 3 inches of cool water, bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour".

Ways to use beans for left-overs:

advice on which beans to buy

Your Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Dried Beans | Bon Appétit — This is a long article, but specific parts that mention how to choose beans:
- Lesson 3: We Like Big Beans and We Cannot Lie
- Lesson 4: Not All Beans Are Created Equal
- Lesson 5: The Best Beans Are In the Mail — they recommend Rancho Gordo, Elegant Beans, Zürsun Beans, and Alma Gourmet
- Lesson 7: Beans Don’t Go "Bad," But... — old beans are no good
- Lesson 11: Pick the Right Bean for the Job — from soft to firm beans, and small to large
- Lesson 13: Sometimes, You Just Need Canned Beans

local places to get beans

local co-ops and health food stores — Especially if they have them in those serve-yourself hoppers, since those are more likely to cycle through the beans a little more consistently and faster, and so are reliably more fresh.
local Indian and Asian grocery stores

online stores

Rancho Gordo
Primary Beans
Zürsun Beans
Alma Gourmet (personal note: The store sells lots of nice stuff for Italian food. they also sell LOTS of varieties of pasta that I would probably want, and even really nice meats and cheeses.)
TODO: Double-check if these places are any good:
- Nuts.com
- Kandarian Organic Farms — doesn't have a huge selection, but they're a staple at some California farmer's markets
- Flourist
- Azure

dealing with specific types of beans

"Some beans, usually smaller ones with thinner skins, can skip the soaking step without consequence. At most, you'll have a slightly longer cooking time. Examples of such beans include black beans (see our black bean soaking test results here), lentils, and black-eyed peas. As a bonus, skipping the soaking step with these beans yields a better flavor, because it's not being leeched out and poured down the drain.

"Heftier beans, including chickpeas, navy beans, pinto beans, and more, are a different story. Some people will swear up and down that you never need to soak those beans either. But those people haven't done enough tests. I have, and I've found that you can sometimes get away with not soaking those beans, but not always."

my notes

My notes from the ▶ Carla Lalli Music video [2] that everyone is talking about:

for today's trip, just buy:
- some large-ish bean
- garlic
- fresh rosemary and/or thyme, maybe some sage or oregano
- a lemon
- some pre-mixed aioli — flavored just garlic, or garlic + lemon
- ? maybe some rough-toasted croutons
- (we have already) near the end, add some good balsamic vinegar, as a finishing acid
- maybe: some pork or beef fat to render
  - note: while the "power soak" is happening, you'll need to spend ~2 hrs slow-cooking this fat down
the most important points are — salt, fat, and time
"if the liquid tastes good, the beans will taste good"