Cooking Black Beans

Black beans belong to the family Leguminosae (legumes). It has many common names like Tampico beans, turtle beans, black Spanish beans and Venezuelan beans. It is famous for its high nutritional value and is used in almost all parts of the world. Its leading producers are United States, Indonesia, India, China and Brazil.

You can find these beans either dried or in canned form. Both the types have a different shelf life and way of cooking. Black beans can be cooked very easily, but sometimes it creates problem as it takes a lot of time to cook. Let's find out some tips on cooking these beans.

Black beans are small and oval in shape. As their name suggests, they are black in color from outside but have cream colored flesh inside. They have a smoky or earthy taste and have a soft texture. They are very rich in minerals and nutrients. But cooking dry beans can be very painful. To reduce your tension about getting it cooked nicely, we have some tips.

• The foremost thing to do is to clean the black beans manually. This can be done by picking out all the impurities like small stones, grains, small twigs, pebbles or any other things apart from the black beans. The next thing to remember is to wash the beans. Fill the beans with water and let it settle down for few seconds and then drain the water. This will take away all the dirt particles. Once this is done your black beans are ready for the next process.

• If you want to cook fresh beans then it may take only half an hour to get cooked. If you have dried beans, then the cooking time will totally depend on how long the beans have been stored. In case of canned beans you can use them directly. But you can find difference in the taste of canned beans and dried beans. As compared to canned beans, dried beans are always superior in taste and quality.

• Dried beans need to be kept immersed in water, overnight. Cover the beans with water - nearly 2 inches above the beans - in a container, cover the lid and leave it overnight. In the morning drain the water and fill freshwater and proceed with your cooking. This method of soaking beans will reduce the cooking time to a great extent.

• If you do not have that much time then you can use the quick soak method. Take beans in a container and add water. Cover the beans with water and bring it to a boil. Boil it for 2 to 3 minutes and then take it off the flame. 

Leave it for 2 hours in the same container and water. After the given time, drain the old water and add freshwater and start cooking. This will reduce the cooking time as well as the soaking time.

• You can boil the beans in a pressure cooker and then use it for your recipe. Always boil beans in a pressure cooker to reduce the time of boiling and to save the nutrient value of the beans. You just need to put the required beans and cover with water 2 inches above the beans. 

• Now put it on high flames. Once it gets the pressure, lower the flame and let it cook for about 15 minutes. After that remove the cooker from the flame and let it cool down for another 15 minutes. Take out the beans and cook them in your own style.

Once you get the beans soft, you can use them as you want. Make black beans in your own style and recipe. Black bean nutrition can be helpful in diabetes, high blood pressure, weight loss, etc. So, it's time to treat you taste buds with yummy taste and nutrition.