Beans are part of a larger category of plants called legumes. At this point, many of us have heard about legumes, but some folks may not know exactly what they are. And that's fine, because you're here, now!

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For those of you who have already read my post on grains, I can assure you that this one won't be as long-winded. Though I still feel very strongly about legumes, they haven't been quite as vilified as grains, so I don't feel the same need to defend them. I will still, however, discuss what a legume is and the difference in using a dried variety instead of canned, before moving onto some rules for making a basic pot of beans from dry. To skip all the extra info, you can use the menu on the left if you're on a computer

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What Are Legumes?

If you've been over to the "Grains!" page, you might recall that legumes are, in fact, a grain - just a different branch of the phylogenic tree than our friends the cereal grains. Thus, it may not be too surprising to see that a legume is defined as a plant (in the family Fabaceae), or the fruit or seeds of such a plant (1). Commonly eaten legumes include alfalfa, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, carob,  soybeans, peanuts, and tamarind. A neat piece of trivia is that most legumes have symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules, so they play a key role in crop rotation worldwide.

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Legumes are staple foods in many global cultures. Aside from their wide cultivation, the popularity of legumes likely comes from their remarkable nutritional profile and being a rich source of healthy fibers and proteins (2). For example, one cup (198 grams) of cooked lentils provides 18 grams of protein, 16 grams of fiber, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 37% your daily value (DV) in iron, 90% DV folate, 17% DV magnesium, and 16% DV potassium, all for 230 calories (3). On top of all that goodness, the same serving will also give you over 10% DV vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese. Legumes as a family are among the best plant-based sources of proteins that nature has to offer (4).

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It's worth noting, however, that some raw legumes (I'm lookin' at you, red kidney beans) can be poisonous, even in small doses, so it's important to always make sure your legumes are cooked or safe to eat raw. Raw legumes also contain antinutrients which can interfere with digestion and the absorption of other nutrients. Phytic acid (or phytate), in particular, is found in legumes in higher concentrations than in other edible plant seeds (5). Phytic acid can impair the absorption of key vitamins and minerals and may actually risk mineral deficiencies in those of us who rely on legumes or other high-phytate foods as a dietary staple (6). Again, however, I'd like to stress that non-raw legumes (including soaked, sprouted, fermented, and cooked) do not offer this risk.

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All of this pertains to beans as a group, but I find it helpful to know which foods fit together biologically because it makes later cooking adventures a little more intuitive and a lot less scary. From here on out, I'm only talking about beans - the rest of the legumes will have to take a seat

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Dry vs. Canned Beans

So, that brings us to a common bean-related debate. Dry or canned? There are benefits and drawbacks to both. Notably, canned beans are ready to go. All you have to do is pop them open, dump them in, and you're pretty much set. Personally, I prefer dried beans, however, begrudge no one who chooses to reach for that can of goya to really speed up that weeknight dinner. However, I would like to quickly touch on the benefits of dried beans before popping down to the cooking method which, by the way, pertains exclusively to these dried varieties.

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Cost and Yield

Dried beans are, without a doubt, a better value. Your average can of beans will run you about $1.19 USD and yields about one and a half cups of the good stuff. Conversely, the average cost of a pound-sized bag of dried beans is $1.99 and yields between five and seven cups. If you do the math, that means you're looking at about 60¢ per cup for canned beans and about 25¢ per cup for cooked, dried beans. They also take up less space in your pantry and, if you're able to buy in bulk, are more environmentally friendly packaging- and transportation-wise.

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Sodium

When you use dried beans, you get to control the amount of sodium that goes into them. Canned beans can be super high in added sodium, which can be a problem for people with high blood pressure (or people who are trying to reduce their sodium intake for any other reason). A typical half cup of canned beans will contain between 400 and 500 mg of sodium, which could be up to a third of the daily intake for those on a sodium-restricted diet. Even if you rinse canned beans and heat them in clear water, that only reduces the sodium by about a third. Cooking your own from dry, on the other hand, means you can control the amount you want to put int he pot and, thus, the amount you're taking in.

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BPA

So, this is an old argument and, admittedly, the vast majority of canneries have begun to shy away from BPA-containing resin in their can liners, but the concern persists. Per the Mayo Clinic, research has shown that BPA can seep into food from containers that are made from it. If you're concerned or interested, they offer some advice for reducing BPA exposure over here. Suffice it to say, however, using dried legumes will just help you avoid the concern altogether.

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Taste

This may be more a matter of personal preference, but I truly feel that dried beans just straight-up taste better. They also tend to have a better mouthfeel, and you can control their texture through the cooking process. When you cook dried beans, you can also add aromatics such as garlic to the water to increase their depth of flavor.

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All of this considered I will still admit that canned beans are certainly faster, especially when you've failed to plan ahead. With a little bit of forethought and self-discipline, however, dry beans are remarkably easy to switch over to and I do hope you'll give them a try.

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Method

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As I mentioned, this method pertains strictly to dried beans and, to an extent, lentils - especially the hardier ones. You don't need to cook canned beans, because they've already been through that process. This really is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen, though - if you can boil pasta, you can also cook beans. It just takes a bit more planning and patience, but trust me, the rewards are worth it. The nice thing is that the method is exactly the same, regardless of what variety of bean you're going with.

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First thing you'll have to do is, of course, select what kind of bean you want to make. Easy enough. Next, pick through the dried beans and toss out any that look weird or any little bits that aren't actually beans. This is more an issue if you're making things like lentils  (to which this method does not pertain) that may have little rocks and stuff in them, but realistically it's fairly uncommon at this point. Once you've assured that you only have winning beans in your possession, give them a quick rinse.

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Next, throw those suckers in a big container and fill it up with water. You'll want to be sure they're completely submerged and that there are a few extra inches of water for them to suck up. It's always okay to add more water as you go, but I like to just set and forget, so I tend to add tons of water. Now, soak them overnight or for at least four hours. You can leave them out on your countertop or pop them in the fridge, though if you do put them in the fridge you're going to want to leave them there overnight, rather than just for a few hours. A quick note, too - if you forget the night before, all is not lost. Get that stuff going in the morning, go off to live your day, and they'll be waiting for you when you get back.

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When you're ready to cook, drain the soaking water and toss those bloated little dudes in a pot. This is the point where you can add aromatics, like woody herbs, bay leaves, or garlic; or veggies like carrots, celery, or onions, but this is by no means required. It just adds a little extra jazz to the finished beans. Add a bunch of water to the pot, about three times the height of the beans, and bring the whole thing to a simmer. You can cover or uncover the pot, it really doesn't matter. If you leave it uncovered, keep an eye on the pot to make sure all the water doesn't simmer away. If you cover the pot, keep an ear out for overboiling water - this happens to me a lot when making garbanzo beans.

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Leave the pot to boil. There are some standard cooking times that I've included below, but you're typically good at about an hour. Keep in mind, that the longer your beans soaked, the faster the boil will go. Technically, you can skip the soak and just boil for who knows how long, but that's a lot of gas or electricity that you'll be wasting. To check and see if the beans are done, take long spoon (anything but metal will do), fish out four or five, give 'em a second to cool so you don't burn yourself, and take a bite. One bean on its own may lie and be more or less cooked than its friends, so it's important to test a few. When they're almost there, throw in a few pinches of salt if that's your thing.

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Once you're happy with how your beans feel, drain the water, toss out any weird looking aromatics or veggies (or anything you don't want in the final dish) and either pop them into your recipe or into the fridge until you're ready to cook!