I'm making (I hope) Red Beans & Rice (brown rice) for dinner.... I washed and soaked the beans overnight. Do I drain that water off and cook them (and with how much water) or do I cook them in that water?
Also, if anyone knows where to find dry butter beans let me know. I couldn't find any at my Tom Thumb. Not even Lima beans, and they don't taste like Butter Beans anyway.
Thanks for the help. I did put them in the crock pot... soooo much easier than watching the stove. They were good, but needed more seasoning and I didn't have a ham bone, so we just dashed some Cajun Chef onto them once on our plates.
The brown rice burned... because my 16 year old was following the directions but not watching the pot. So we had Minute Rice.
Found Butter Beans in the frozen section at Kroger. The ones I like are called Fordhook Lima Beans... regular Lima beans aren't as good:) Thanks!
Yes, you should drain and rinse. This supposedly makes them less likely to cause the typical GI side effect of beans and I think it helps some.
I have found cooking the beans in a crock pot to be really handy as the length of cooking time is highly variable even for the same types of beans. Also, the beans freeze well - I put them in 2 cup containers, which makes them about the same amount as a 16 oz. can.
Hi T.,
Yes, do drain them after they soak. You'll also want to spray them off to get any dirt or shells or whatever out of there. I can't remember the exact ratio of water to beans - I think it's 1 cup beans and 4 cups water, but I could be wrong. You can check out allrecipes.com and search for "bean soup" - you'll find the ratio on one of those recipes. Central Market has a great selection of dried beans - I've never looked specifically for butter beans, but they have tons of beans. You could call them to see. Good luck with your yummy dinner - what time should we be there - LOL!
I drain my beans through a collander. I think of this soaking as a deep cleaning too and the water is filled with the silt and dirt from the beans.
When I cook the beans I cook them with enough water to cover them plus just a little bit. Remember when they are cooking you might have to add liquid too since the water is steaming off. A lot of times rather than water I will use chicken broth to get a deeper flavor too. Don't forget to season well during the cooking as you add your liquids.
Good luck!
Yes, drain that water off and then cook them.
I'm making the same thing tonight...red beans & rice w/ sausage. I make mine in the crockpot. I put just enough water to cover them because they will make their own gravy. You could put a turkey neck or hamhock in with them for extra seasoning.
Good luck!
