A Proper Pot of Beans

Dried beans are little powerhouses and culinary gems that don’t always get their chance to shine. But they’re affordable, versatile, and packed with flavor, and they offer better textures than their canned counterparts.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to soak dried beans?

The notion that dried beans need an overnight soak to reduce cooking time has, in the past, immediately eliminated them as an option for Monday-to-Friday cooking for many home cooks. But while soaking dried beans does have some benefits (namely, it aids digestion by breaking down complex sugars and also helps to reduce phytic acid, which makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients), it’s not a necessary step. The time that soaking beans in advance shaves off the overall cook time can be so minuscule that the extra effort is pretty much pointless. (Sometimes the difference is as little as 15 to 30 minutes.) In fact, many bean aficionados argue that dried beans retain more of their flavor, have improved texture, and yield better pot liquor if you skip the soak. But if the dried beans are old (or if you don’t know how old they are), a soak of 6 to 8 hours (or overnight) may help ensure even cooking.

What about brining?

Brining, which involves soaking the dried beans in a saltwater solution, enhances flavor and helps to soften the beans’ skins, improving the final texture. Brining is optional and can be as short as 2 hours or up to overnight. To brine dried beans, cover the beans with 3 to 4 inches of water, and stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt.

Should you add salt when cooking dried beans?

For ages, it’s been said that adding salt to beans at any point before the last bit of cooking will result in tough, inedible beans. The truth is that toughness is more likely the result of low-quality beans than the addition of salt. Happily, higher-quality dried beans are increasingly easy to find, which has helped debunk the salt myth. As with brining, salting the beans from the get-go can enhance flavor and texture and create a tastier pot liquor.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

The cooking time for dried beans can vary greatly, so start checking smaller varieties at around 30 minutes and larger varieties after about 1 hour. To use the beans in other recipes, cook through step 1; to enjoy these as a hearty meal on their own, continue through step 2.  

Make ahead

Beans can be made through step 1 and transferred to heatproof containers using a slotted spoon. Add enough cooking liquid to cover beans, and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Cover with airtight lids, and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.