Vehement Solutions for Trivial Problems: Rancho Gordo Bean Club

First shipment, 3rd Q 2022

After being on the waitlist for about 16 months, I was accepted into the Rancho Gordo Bean Club in Sep 2022. I had no idea how fun it would be to receive a quarterly surprise shipment of 6 lbs of different heirloom beans (plus a little something extra). Each shipment comes with a newsletter containing a suggested (and often really interesting) recipe for each type of bean. With club memebership you also become a member of the exclusive RG Facebook group (with fellow members of the "leguminati") to read all kinds of fan posts and recipes related to beans. This has been a great opportunity to learn how to cook a variety of beans in a variety of ways. I learned that you really don't have to soak beans before you cook them, which is good, because I rarely remember to. I learned a piece of kombu cooked with beans adds good flavor, and to not skimp on the kosher salt.

Stovetop

While a lot of people use this method, I've had some troubles, including some dried out and scorched beans, especially when I've tried to use our size 28 (7.25 qt) Le Crueset with a bigger surface area. It's a bit harder to control the lower temperatures on our range, so I'm using this method less and less.

Slow cooker

This method is pretty reliable. I also like that slow cookers consume less energy than our gas range. The beans never burn, and you can easily test their progress, unlike with the Instant Pot. Alton Brown's method for chickpeas is a great example.

The Not Your Mother's Slowcooker Cookbook has a great section on bean cooking. They strongly advocate for soaking, then cooking on high. I often don't plan ahead enough to soak. For 1 lb unsoaked beans, add 8 cups of water, herbs and aromatics as desired, and cook on high. Start testing for doneness at 5-6 hours. Add salt when cooking is almost done.

Instant Pot

Many bean fans love their Instant Pots. I've had some frustrations in estimating a cooking time, only to find the beans are not done, and then it takes time to get back up to pressure to add cooking time. One of the Facebook posts shared a method that works well if you're going to be gone for the day at work:

1 lb beans (unsoaked), 6 cups water, 1.5 tsp kosher salt, any herbs/spices/veg you may want to include. Starting in the morning, cook at low pressure for 5-15 min (depending on bean size), then before you leave for the day release pressure and switch to the slow cooker setting until dinner time, then remove the lid and hit the saute setting to allow the liquor to reduce for a few minutes.

Mirela's Black Bean Soup

My friend Mirela has a great method for making black bean soup:

"I usually let the dry beans soak in hot water for a few hours and I throw away the first water in which I first bring them to a boil. Then I boil them separately until I prepare the rest - it cuts the time.

Heat 5-6 tablespoons of oil

Add a few hot pepper flakes if you like it a bit spicy

Grate 3-4 large carrots and heat them in oil until the oil become yellow and carrots soften

Add a bit of water to the pot and add 2-3 large chopped onions and 1-2 large chopped sweet pepper (any color is fine)

Add the (semi) boiled beans, add 1 teaspoon of salt and boil until beans are almost done. Add chopped tomatoes (1 can if you are lazy like me, I like the ones with basil and garlic)

Give it another boil, add chopped parsley and lovage and turn the heat off."