On Apr 30, 6:10*pm, "cshenk" > wrote:
> "Ophelia" wrote
>
> > "cshenk" wrote
> >>>>> I am new to bean cookery. *I was just asking...
> >>>>> What is the difference between pinto beans and others?
> >>> lol how different do they taste?
>
> >> About like the difference between beef and pork! *(grin).
> > * *Ahhhhh)
>
> Yeah, kinda hard to describe!
>
> >> Seriously, for a bean afficianado there's a big difference but for basic
> >> consumption they come in sets of comon flavor relations.
> > * *OK, but not being a bean afficianado..... * *I cooked my first been
> > dish (ever) yesterday... so please bear with me, but we loved them and so
> > I am very willing to learn *Anything you can teach me will be very
> > welcome.
>
> USA folks picked this one up possibly from the amerinds but came in from
> lots of places. *It's an odd household local to me that wouldn't have them
> at least twice a month in some level of form. *Many homes, it's almost every
> day there is a side dish of them. *Conversely we largely have no clue what
> you'd mean if you mention 'pudding' from a UK aspect.
>
> I know little of UK 'pudding' other than it is grain based, fairly thick,
> and has a consistancy not too far off 'refried beans' (mashed, seldom truely
> fried but may have oil added as mashed and sorta fried as you mix them up).
>
> >> Pinto/dark red kidney shaped beans
> >> Red/pink beans
> >> white beans (many names and types, navy beans is a common one)
> >> Black eyed peas
> >> Black beans
> >> Aduki sweet beans
>
> >> Read the list and they are in order of relative flavor so that the
> >> pinto's nearest flavor match is the red/pink which in turn next matches
> >> closest to the white navy and so on down. *The aduki don't totally fit
> >> nor would mung beans as they have more to do with the traditional fixing
> >> methods.
>
> > Thank you *I shall keep a note and learn about them!
>
> Look about your stores and tell me what types they have in dried form.
> Don't be suprized if they are a bit different than my common list. *I just
> listed 'the' most common types but your area may have alot of canary yellows
> (fairly vibrant yellow when dried, fits mostly with white beans above) or a
> mottled sort of smallish round one with a white background and red blots
> (cranberry beans we call them and they fit between the red/pink and the
> white).
>
> I left off dried baby limas and large limas (dried lima beans, may also be
> called 'butter beans') because I've been told they arent sold much where you
> are. *They bear almost no flavor relation to fresh ones and fit in roughly
> with the white beans.
>
> Universally though there are some basics to cooking dried beans. *The least
> expensive method uses a 'crockpot' (I believe you call them slowcookers, a
> counter top device with a ceramic crock setting in a stand with a glass
> lid).
>
> Exact measures are not required so you'd add about 500g dried to 3.5-4L
> water then add some stock cubes if you like and we normally add peeled
> chopped garlic and black pepper. *Many add salt at this stage so suit
> yourself. *We often have a ham bone or some sort of porky bits and add them
> in but they are fine without that if you like. *A scoup of bacon fat is nice
> but not essential if you have a need to reduce that. *Chicken fat somehow
> doesnt work BTW but with white beans, duck fat works well.
>
> Set crockpot/slow cooker on lowest setting and let it do it's thing. The
> bean type will vary on when it's ready but most will be by 8 hours and hold
> well for 2 days straight heating (getting naturally closer to mashed as you
> go along). *Stove top works too but will cost you 4x in energy bills. *Time
> to stovetop at a merry boil is 45mins-2 hours with the slowest to tenderize
> beans getting more notable on that (pintos).
>
> I can scroll off actual recipes as well if you want!
>
> PS: sorry if i have overexplained. *I can't recall if you are a USA sort
> living abroad so know my terms, or are a UK friend who might need a little
> translation.

DO NOT use the "crockpot/slow cooker on lowest setting" for kidney
beans. It might not get hot enough to denature the toxic
hemagglutinin, and may in fact increase its bioavailability.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...831.x/abstract

--Bryan