Thrifty Food Tip: Beans

This week we find ourselves down to the bone, money-wise. So, desperately looking around my kitchen for cheap food options, I stumbled on my forgotten dried bean collection. Whenever I need beans for a recipe, I eyeball the dried beans and think about how frickin' long it takes to cook them into a usable state. Then I go to the store to pay about a dollar a can. No more, I say! All it takes is a little time, stovetop space, and Ziploc bags to have yourself a rather large store of recipe-ready frozen beans. In a short afternoon, from a few small bags of dollar Walmart beans, I have made the equivalent of 15 cans of beans! Not too shabby. If you're curious about the things wrapped in foil, consider them a preview of the amazing breakfast burrito recipe premiering tomorrow! I've included a how-to after the break.

A How To:

Do a quick-soak of the beans. Wash and check for inferior beans. Fill a large pot with 6-8 cups of hot water to a 1 lb. bag of beans and bring to a quick boil. Boil 2 minutes. Then, turn off the heat, cover pot, and let it simmer for 1 hour. Drain the soak water and rinse well.

To cook the beans to recipe-ready: Add 6 cups hot water to the drained beans. Simmer gently with the lid tilted (beans have a tendency to boil over) until they are tender. Should take about 1½ to 2 hours. Pour off the liquid and rinse the beans in cold water a couple of times. Let them sit until they are cooled enough to put into plastic bags.

Into quart-size, freezer, Ziploc bags put about 1¼-1½ cups of beans—it equals about how many beans you get in a standard 16oz. can. Label each bag with what kind of bean they are, the date you packed them, and the measurement in each bag (in cups and ounces). Freeze flat for easy stacking.

When you're ready to use the beans, just defrost them in the refrigerator.