Did you know that beans don't have to come in a can? They don't, it's true. Dried beans are very easy to prepare at home. It's also much less expensive and much tastier to buy dried beans and prepare them than it is to buy them in a can.

You can find dried beans in one-pound bags at nearly every large grocery store. I've even seen them at Walmart! Plus, soaking the beans yourself begins to process the starches that make beans offensive to your intestines. In other words, soaking them yourself should lead to less bean-related tooting!

The following directions will work for any type of dried beans: black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, kidney beans... Are you getting the idea?

Materials for preparing dried beans

• A pound of beans, whatever type you like
• A colander or strainer - make sure the holes are small enough that the dry beans won't fall through
• A large saucepot - the beans will double or triple in size, so make sure it's big enough for the finished beans

Getting started with your dried beans

• Empty your bag of beans into the colander and rinse them well. While you're rinsing, pay attention for any small stones or other junk that might have gotten mixed in with the beans.
• Discard any foreign objects, as well as any beans that look misshapen and any empty skins.

Soaking the dried beans

• After they've been thoroughly rinsed, put the beans into a large saucepot. I like to use a 6+ quart pot. Remember, the beans will double or triple their dry size.
• Let the beans sit for 6 hours to overnight. Cooks disagree on the perfect amount of soaking. I've read that anything over 8 hours is bad. I've read that anything less than 10 hours is bad. You'll have to experiment and see what produces the least amount of digestive gas for you.
• After you've soaked the beans, dump the water and rinse them in your colander. You should notice that the beans are much larger than before.

Cooking the beans

• Return the rinsed beans to the large saucepot and cover them with at least 3 inches of water.
• DON'T add salt. It will prevent your beans from softening.
• Bring the beans and water to a boil. Turn down the heat on the pan, and simmer the beans for an hour or two, until they are tender to your liking. If your beans came in a package, you should consult it for cooking times.
• When the cooking is finished, you've essentially made bean soup. Some people eat it just like that.

What now?

• If you're not going to eat the beans right away, PUT THEM IN THE REFRIGERATOR! The beans will spoil if you leave them out at this point. You will probably have to pour off a lot of the cooking liquid. You can either save it for soup or throw it out.
• I like to put the whole pound of beans (with enough cooking liquid to cover them) into a very large glass jar in my fridge, and spoon them out a cup or two at a time, as my recipes require. They'll keep in the fridge for about a week.
• After they're cooked, you can season the beans however you like - salt, spices, etc.
• A typical can of beans is 15 oz, so I use 2 cups of my homemade beans when a recipe calls for one can.
• You can freeze the beans (before or after adding them to other ingredients).

More on cooking with dried beans

• The US Dry Bean Council - a wonderful resource, full of bean recipes
• American Bean
• Purcell Mountain Farms

Photo of beans, copyright US Dry Beans Council