What are Brown Beans?

Using salted water for soaking prolongs the soaking time, so it's better to add it when cooking instead.

Thank you, WiseGEEK! I have always wanted to try to cook beans, but for some reason the idea seemed really intimidating up until I read about it here. The instructions sound simple enough...I'm going to give it a try tomorrow.

Are there different cooking times and different cooking instructions involved if you use different kinds of beans? I only have red kidney beans, and apparently they're bigger than the brown beans talked about here, so I wonder if that means I should adjust the cooking time to cook longer so they have longer to soften up?

It sounds like most people commenting here like to boil their beans for soup. Does anybody else enjoy beans in salads like I do?

I kind of made the recipe up on my own, so the ingredients can vary, but it goes something like this: I either buy beans fresh or boil them to soften them up, rinse them in cold water, then mix them cold with other ingredients like cole slaw, lettuce shreds, chopped up veggies, mayonnaise, bacon bits and bits of hard boiled egg.

The result is a really delicious salad. It's great plain, or on a sandwich, and the beans really add protein to it while at the same time adding a great flavor and texture that the salad just wouldn't have without them. When I have it on a sandwich, I prefer rye bread. Yum!

@Hawthorne - Right on, soup with beans is one of my favorite things to do with them. If I bought a few big bags of beans to have around for emergency backup food if, say, food supply lines were cut off and I couldn't buy anything at the store, I wouldn't be suffering any. I love beans, I wouldn't barely change how I usually eat!

When you're not cooking them with ham, beans also absorb the flavors of other meats very well, even chicken. If you've ever made tortilla soup, you know that beans can be a great addition to thicken the broth and get that Mexican food flavor in the soup.

The only complaint I could have about beans is that they can be extremely bland unless you add lots of salt, so you have to watch your sodium intake when you eat a lot of them.

Are brown beans the kind that are used for making refried beans? I'm talking about the kind you buy canned in the store, not fresh beans. I ask because I'm curious how expensive it would be to try making my own refried beans and canning them.

Canning food is a useful and practical skill that I've just started learning. It's a hobby so far, but someday having food stores put up will probably come in handy, with how turbulent the world is getting to be!

So, does anybody know any good recipes for using brown beans like these to make refried beans with the intent to can them? Do you just prepare them like you normally would and then can the leftovers, or what?

I'm really new to this, so sorry if these questions sound stupid -- I want to learn to do this well.

I've got to say, beans are some of the most filling and cheapest foods you can have in your home, especially for food supplies in case of emergency. A big bag of dry beans costs very little compared to those dehydrated fancy food emergency kits that they sell in the stores, and a pot of beans can feed a family of four for days.

Dry beans are best because they have a shelf life of years -- decades, even, if you store them right! When you want to prepare them, you just leave them soaking in a pot of water overnight, and then cook them the next day by boiling them.

The soak overnight will have softened them up enough; remember to let them soak long enough, or they'll be a bit crunchy. If they don't turn out great first try, don't be too hard on yourself -- like rice, they take practice to cook, and they're so cheap that you haven't wasted much if you have to throw a pot of them out!

Boiling a ham bone with them makes for a great pot of beans, and is a good way to use up leftovers without being wasteful.

I really love baked beans, so I feel quite inspired to try the casserole idea. I'm sure you can cook beans in a slow cooker, and have them all ready to go when you get in from work.

Brown beans can be very tasty with the right sauce, though I personally do not think they have much taste of their own without it. but then, I prefer things with a bit of spice, and both Scandinavian and Midwestern cuisine tends to be on the bland side. If that isn't your thing, though, it can still be tasty- I just recommend making sure you have some black pepper on hand.

Darker beans have more antioxidants than lighter beans. So for example brown beans will have more antioxidants then white beans, but less then black or red beans. However, all beans are a very good health food.