The Rancho Gordo Blog — bean cooking
Testing Techniques for Refried Beans
bean cooking beans In the kitchen Ingredient Spotlight Medium Beans Mexican Rancho Gordo Test Kitchen Vegetarian

I sometimes believe my love of beans came from the can of refried beans my family would use for tostada nights in the late 1960s and 1970s. I loved the power of creating my own tostada, which at that point would not have had a hint of a fresh vegetable but oddly loaded with hot sauce. It was all good but it was the refried beans that made me a lifelong fan of beans. I don't think there is a lot of debate about the best way to refry beans. White onion is wilted in freshly rendered lard and then...
An Obvious Point About Bean Cooking Not Everyone Knows
bean cooking heirloom beans In the kitchen Misc Rants Vegetarian Times Vegetarian>Vegan
A few years ago I did one of those farm to table dinners and it featured our beans. I loved sitting at the end of a long white table with fellow producers and eager diners. But then I sampled what a seemingly knowledgeable chef had done with our beans. I wanted to run in shame! They were about 40 minutes short of being fully cooked. In his head, al dente meant good. It may be good for pasta or snap peas but beans need to be fully cooked, for texture, flavor and digestibility. The March 2016 Vegetarian Times has an...