I tried cooking beans this week. Did the usual soak over night, put in the crockpot with just water. They are still inedible. I am thinking they are too old, but I was also thinking, wouldn't dried beans last a very long time on the shelf? My guess is that they are at least 5 years old, due to us moving every 10 minutes, they just get passed from pantry to pantry.
Yes, I'll toss them.
To answer the length of cooking time...too long. I cooked them for about 2 days total...6 hours one day, tested, not done, so unplugged the crockpot and cooked the following date after refilling with more water. They will not soften.
I guess I'll offer the beans to a Pre-K for crafts. I bought one of those Costco size bags back in Phoenix where people buy such size bags.
I would add that I have been very unsatisfied with using my slow cooker for dried (and soaked) beans. Mine tend to stay too firm, even though they are not too old.
I prefer dried over canned so I boil them before adding them to the slow cooker...for freezer meals I will boil a large batch and then add them to the bag with the other ingredients.
Good luck.
I don't recall how long they will stay on the shelf and still be good, but I use dried beans on a regular basis and have never had them too old. I do know that if the humidity in the beans gets too low they will take longer to absorb water.
I'd experiment with them and boil them and see if anything changes. Put them in a crok pot on low or warm and see what happens.
Good luck to you and yours.
No idea. I will admit: I'm afraid of dried beans. I only use canned.
Dry beans should last a long time, although 5 years is an awful long time. Beans and rice are one of the foods that often used in food pantries for shelters.
Beans take hours to cook. It is an all day process, even if you soak them. Beans in a crock pot should cook on low for about 8 - 10 hours. Are you sure the crock pot is working properly? I think they should still cook even though they are old.
You don't mention how long they have been cooking and at what temperature. I would say they will take about 4 - 5 hours on a very low boil.
Try stilltasty.com.
got this from a "food storage" web site
As beans age they lose their oils, resist water absorption and won't swell. Worst case, they must be ground to be used. Storing beans in nitrogen helps prolong the loss of these oils as does cool temperatures. Hermetically sealed in the absence of oxygen, plan on a storage life of 8-10 years at a stable temperature of 70 degrees F. They should keep proportionately longer if stored at cooler temperatures.
