Written by Rancho Gordo employee Cecilia Ortiz.
As a home cook, I am always looking for ways to save time in the kitchen.The Instant Pot has intrigued me for a while, but I’ll admit: I felt a bit intimidated by its array of buttons and settings. Still, the promise of cooking beans in under an hour proved irresistible, so I finally took the plunge and decided to give it a try!
The Ingredients:
- ½ bag (about 1 cup) of dry/uncooked Rancho Gordo beans (I tested the Eye of the Goat, Buckeye, and the Chiapas Black beans)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup of chopped onion
- 2 cloves of chopped garlic
- 6 cups of filtered water
The Process:
The Instant Pot that I own is the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-quart. The beans I had on hand were the Eye of the Goat, Buckeye, and the Chiapas Black beans(Frijol Negro de Vara).
Eye of the Goat Beans, soaked
First up were the Eye of the Goat beans.
I decided to test half a bag—about 1 cup of dry beans. After giving them a quick rinse and soaking them for 3 hours into the Instant Pot they went, along with 6 cups of filtered water, a bay leaf, a teaspoon of salt, and some chopped onion and garlic.
Using the cooking times provided by the Plant-Based Instant Pot People Facebook Group, I started with the lowest suggested cooking time of 9 minutes (on High Pressure) for my pre-soaked beans.
It did take the Instant Pot about 15 minutes to reach pressure, before the 9 minute countdown began. After the 9 minutes were up, I opted for a “natural pressure release (NPR),” which is where you allow the pressure to come down naturally. This took about 25 minutes.
Upon opening the top and inspecting the beans, they were still undercooked, so I added 10 more minutes of pressure. After the additional 10 minutes were up, and an NPR of 25 minutes, I opened the lid and the beans were tender and perfect.
Eye of the Goat Beans, unsoaked
Back to the kitchen! I repeated this same process, but this time with unsoaked Eye of the Goat beans. Again, I started with the lowest suggested cooking time of 23 minutes (on High Pressure) for my unsoaked beans.
After the 15 minute warm up, 23 minutes of cooking time, and 25 minutes of NPR, I opened the lid and the beans were tender and soft. Victory, my friend!
Results
Eye of the Goat, soaked for 3 hrs-19 min, NPR
Eye of the Goat, unsoaked-23 min, NPR
Buckeye, soaked for 3 hours-10 min, NPR
Buckeye, unsoaked-19 min, NPR
Chiapas Black, soaked for 3 hours-10 min, NPR
Chiapas Black, unsoaked-25 min, NPR
Tips and Tricks
- Opt for filtered water when cooking your beans. Hard water might throw off your cooking times.
- Make sure you are using enough water. I used about 6 cups of water for half a bag— or about 1 cup of dry beans.
- Plan to spend a total of 1-2 hours for the whole cooking process (especially if you need to add more time). You can try and save time by using the “quick-pressure release”.
- From the beans I tested, all cooked in less than 25 minutes, NPR. I would recommend starting your beans with the lowest recommended cooking time. If they are almost there, but still a little hard, do 5 more minutes under pressure or finish them off using the “saute” mode. If they are really far from done, do another 10 minutes under pressure.
- Use the Plant-Based Instant Pot People Facebook Group Sheet as a guide and keep notes about how long that specific variety took so you can apply it next time.
My Final Verdict
Would I recommend pressure cooking your beans? It depends.
If you’re a busy person who simply wants to enjoy your heirloom beans after a hard day’s work without hovering over the stove, then pressure cooking is an excellent choice.
It can take a little trial and error, but once you get the hang of it, I feel that it can definitely save you some time.
Soft, tender beans in less than an hour—what’s not to love?
However, slow cooking my beans on the stovetop remains my favorite. Nothing can beat a slow-cooked bean broth.
-------------------
For more on this subject, check out our e-booklet STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT INSTANT POT BEANS, by Kathy Hester.
Leave a comment