32 replies to this topic

[Jeepers]

Here is a tutorial on dehydrating soup beans. Good for using in 'meal in a jar' type recipes or a quick cook bean meal.



Edted to say:
I can't watch videos on this site I can only hear them but if you click on the heading of the video posted, it will take you to the youtube site and you can watch it there.

Edited by Jeepers, 25 November 2012 - 11:34 PM.

[Andrea]

Thanks!

[lumabean]

Thanks

[Philbe]

Don't know which is my most favorite...her or Dehydrate2store! LOL Katzcradul is the only one I've ever heard tell us how to keep beans long term so that we can actually EAT them some day. A friend of mine tried to cook some she had set back several years ago and she said she boiled them for 2 days and still couldn't eat them. I have a few bags set back but most of mine are now in cans...pintos, northerns etc...and in a size appropriate for us two.

[Jeepers]

Yeah, I'm afraid my 'bucket-o-beans' is probably like cement too.

[Ambergris]

Remember you can still grind the rocklike beans.

[Jeepers]

Good reminder Ambergris. I forgot about that.

[TurtleMama]

Cool!!! Thanks for the video...

Ambergris, what can you make with the ground beans?

[Philbe]

Uses for ground beans? Funny tasting "coffee"!? LOL

[Andrea]

Cool!!! Thanks for the video...

Ambergris, what can you make with the ground beans?

You can use them as flour, or soup/sauce thickeners.

CrabGrass came up with this tip for beans that won't soften - freeze them after you've cooked them and the expansion from the freezing process will help soften them.

I'm going to try dehydrating some beans this weekend. We LOVE chili beans and refried beans. Dehydrated versions, if they turn out well, would be very convenient to have on hand and would save on both freezer and cupboard space.

[Ambergris]

What Andrea said. I have ground beans to make refried beans.

[Midnightmom]

Don't know which is my most favorite...her or Dehydrate2store! LOL Katzcradul is the only one I've ever heard tell us how to keep beans long term so that we can actually EAT them some day. A friend of mine tried to cook some she had set back several years ago and she said she boiled them for 2 days and still couldn't eat them. I have a few bags set back but most of mine are now in cans...pintos, northerns etc...and in a size appropriate for us two.

What is the secret? Can you post the method or provide a link???

[lumabean]

Don't know which is my most favorite...her or Dehydrate2store! LOL Katzcradul is the only one I've ever heard tell us how to keep beans long term so that we can actually EAT them some day. A friend of mine tried to cook some she had set back several years ago and she said she boiled them for 2 days and still couldn't eat them. I have a few bags set back but most of mine are now in cans...pintos, northerns etc...and in a size appropriate for us two.

What is the secret? Can you post the method or provide a link???

Midnightmom, Katzcradul is the woman who made the how-to video that Jeepers posted above. She rinses/sorts the beans, then an overnight soak, then drains/rinses, then cooks -- I believe in the video she shares that she uses a pressure cooker but noted regular cooking is also fine. Then she dehydrates them.

If I remember correctly she also mentioned the price difference -- 8-10 cents/serving her way verses 80-84 cents/serving buying them freeze-dried. Some significant savings there!

She's got a lot of other interesting YouTube videos as well.

Edited by lumabean, 28 November 2012 - 08:12 AM.

[Philbe]

Thanks Luma for providing the info for MidnightMom. Katzcradul is not an alarmist like some are and yet still seems to have a solid head on her shoulder when on subjects of canning and dehydrating etc. When I have questions on dehydrating etc., her and Dehydrate2store are my first 2 places to visit! LOL

[TurtleMama]

Can you cook the beans with dry spices (like Bob's bean seasoning spice, or just dried herbs) to flavor them before dehydrating? I know that you obviously wouldn't want to cook them with a pork hock or ham bone (too much fat) -- but herbs and salt would be safe, right?

[Philbe]

Flavoring them won't harm them a bit because you'll be dehydrating them not the fluids they're in etc. If you add onions, you'll want to dehydrate the onions separately (even though they've been cooked) on their own tray, and store them separately. If it were me, I'd label the onions as "seasoned in beans" and label the beans as "seasoned" so you'll know they're not just regular cooked beans. That way when you rehydrate them in cooking, you'll know they have some seasonings alreading in them and not add more...LOL I might also put some dry seasoning mixes in a small mylar pouch and drop them into the container of beans along with my oxygen absorber, when I seal up my beans.

[mommato3boys]

Thank you for posting this. I had actually logged on to ask all you dehydrating maniacs LOL if you have ever done dry beans. I just unpacked another box and it had bags and jugs of dry beans and I was thinking some of them were pretty old and I needed to do something with them. This was the perfect post Thanks.

[Jeepers]

Turtle, I heard someone (can't remember who...of course) say that it is just fine to season the beans first. She was talking about onion powder and garlic powder etc. in the cooking. Just be sure wherever you use the beans, you would want that flavoring in them. Most of the ones I've seen don't use the seasonings in case they don't want the flavor in a certain dish or if someone in the family doesn't like that seasoning.

Just got me thinking about cooking them with a little ham bouillion or smoke flavor added to the first cooking, before dehydrating, for beans and corn bread.

[Midnightmom]

Don't know which is my most favorite...her or Dehydrate2store! LOL Katzcradul is the only one I've ever heard tell us how to keep beans long term so that we can actually EAT them some day. A friend of mine tried to cook some she had set back several years ago and she said she boiled them for 2 days and still couldn't eat them. I have a few bags set back but most of mine are now in cans...pintos, northerns etc...and in a size appropriate for us two.

What is the secret? Can you post the method or provide a link???

Midnightmom, Katzcradul is the woman who made the how-to video that Jeepers posted above. She rinses/sorts the beans, then an overnight soak, then drains/rinses, then cooks -- I believe in the video she shares that she uses a pressure cooker but noted regular cooking is also fine. Then she dehydrates them.

If I remember correctly she also mentioned the price difference -- 8-10 cents/serving her way verses 80-84 cents/serving buying them freeze-dried. Some significant savings there!

She's got a lot of other interesting YouTube videos as well.

Are you saying that pre-cooking & then dehydrating is the only way to preserve them for LTS w/o them turning to rocks???

[lumabean]

Don't know which is my most favorite...her or Dehydrate2store! LOL Katzcradul is the only one I've ever heard tell us how to keep beans long term so that we can actually EAT them some day. A friend of mine tried to cook some she had set back several years ago and she said she boiled them for 2 days and still couldn't eat them. I have a few bags set back but most of mine are now in cans...pintos, northerns etc...and in a size appropriate for us two.

What is the secret? Can you post the method or provide a link???

Midnightmom, Katzcradul is the woman who made the how-to video that Jeepers posted above. She rinses/sorts the beans, then an overnight soak, then drains/rinses, then cooks -- I believe in the video she shares that she uses a pressure cooker but noted regular cooking is also fine. Then she dehydrates them.

If I remember correctly she also mentioned the price difference -- 8-10 cents/serving her way verses 80-84 cents/serving buying them freeze-dried. Some significant savings there!

She's got a lot of other interesting YouTube videos as well.

Are you saying that pre-cooking & then dehydrating is the only way to preserve them for LTS w/o them turning to rocks???

I think so. The lady who did the video mentioned how light they are, and how well they rehydrate. It seems that pre-cooking is the key to them turning out quick cooking and non-rock-like.

Hers is a way to achieve similar results as the purchased canned quick cook beans out there for long term storage.