Rancho Gordo and IP Cooking Times

[SheilaAnn]

A guide…

RG Instant Pot Cook Times.pdf

[JCBBQ]

That’s cool. THANK YOU!!!

[Donw]

Thanks. I’ve tried several times to cook RG beans using other charts and I get mushy beans. I’ll give it a try again. I just hope the average times listed are for somewhat average elevations as I live at sea level.

[fzxdoc]

I remember you making a similar comment before. What are your average Instant Pot times for medium sized beans?
When I first started cooking RG unsoaked beans in the IP back in the day at the recommended 25 min with 15 min NPR, the cooked beans were hard as rocks. I went through a lot of bags of beans before I settled on my much longer cook times to get creamy (not toothy) beans. It was worth it. No lectin worries due to high temps achieved in pressure cooking, and delicious results

K.

[Dan Deter]

Thank you! Not knowing the times is something that always holds me back!

[SheilaAnn]

I never really visited this FB page before, I just use the chart. Sea level here, too.

[WI Bubba]

What's a good amount of liquid to use? My thought is enough to cover the beans plus a half inch?

[SheilaAnn]

With RG beans, I always go about 2” over. And I never soak them.

[SundaySmokeSignal]

Go with SheilaAnn's 2 inches over the beans, not just a half inch over. Rancho Gordo beans are unsoaked, so they drink a lot of liquid while they cook, and a half inch over can leave you short, with beans cooking unevenly or scorching on the bottom. If you end up with extra liquid after the pressure releases, you can simmer it down with the lid off for a few minutes and it turns into a nice pot liquor. Too little liquid is the harder problem to fix.

[58limited]

Cool! Maybe one day I'll get an Instant Pot, no room for more appliances right now though. Major kitchen re-org coming soon....

[fzxdoc]

I've written about this here before, but my IP pressure cooking times are about double many of those recommendations on the Rancho Gordo Chart for unsoaked beans. Plus I always do a full NPR (30-40min) as opposed to the 15 min NPR recommended on the RG chart. I don't know why I have to cook longer to get creamy beans, but I do.

I average about 45-65 minutes on High pressure with full NPR for most medium sized beans except for limas, for instance. I like the beans creamy without a crunchy one in the bunch. Plus I add salt and baking soda to help keep the skins from bursting.

The time is dependent on the age of the beans, the altitude (I'm at 3700 ft), whether the contents are warm from using the saute function for very long before adding the beans and broth, etc. Plus, on occasion I undercook the beans, shortening the pressure cooking time by 10 minutes or so if the beans are going to be simmered for a while in another dish like a soup or stew.

At sea level, I start at 35-45 min on High Pressure with full NPR for medium sized unsoaked beans, but almost always have to cook them longer to achieve creaminess.

Just FWIW. YMMV.

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For unsoaked RG beans, this is my basic bean recipe for eating the beans right out of the pot when the NPR is done. I also add beans cooked like this to other recipes like soups, stews, etc., adding them at the end and warming them through.

1lb Rancho Gordo medium sized beans
Look for and remove debris, then rinse and drain.
Pour in a 6 quart Instant Pot
Add:
6 cups water
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
1 tsp granulated onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Adjust pressure cooking time to desired setting.
Season to taste after NPR.
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This is the chart I have developed over the years. Back the times down by 10-15% if you're just feeling your way. Again, I'm at 3700ft altitude so have to cook maybe 7-10% longer than at sea level.

These IP Time settings on High (with full NPR) are for 1 lb of creamy beans unless otherwise noted:
⭐For teeny beans like Flageolet, High 55 min with NPR (Natural Pressure Release)
⭐For small beans like Midnight Blacks, 45 min with NPR (toothy) or High 60min with NPR (creamy).
⭐For medium-sized beans the size of Marcella (cannellini) High 65 min with NPR.
⭐For the big dense beans like Cassoulet or Good Mother Stallard, High 70-75min with NPR.
⭐For extra large beans like Royal Corona, High 90min with NPR.
⭐For the big but less dense beans like the Limas, High 45 min with NPR
⭐For Black Eyed Peas which don't need much cooking, High 25 min with 15 min before releasing pressure (15 min NPR)

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Other Notes:
Meathead wrote that he pressure cooks his beans for 20 minutes then uses the saute feature to keep them cooking until they are the right tenderness.

Salt can be added during the soak and the cook, according to Kenji Lopez-Alt. Here's his recommendation in a nutshell:

Long story short: For the best, creamiest, most flavorful beans, season your bean-**soaking** water with **one tablespoon of kosher salt per quart** (about 15 grams per liter), **rinse** the beans with fresh water before cooking, then add a **pinch of salt** to the **cooking** water as well.

Kathryn

[SheilaAnn]

fzxdoc Thank you for this!! YMMV certainly rings true. I bet said “mileage” could also apply to your IP.

[barelfly]

I’m an Instapot Novice…I rely on my better half when it comes to the Instacooker. She laughs at me, but it’s something I’m trying to embrace a bit and learn…in fact..I have roast going right now in the Instacooker. I’ve done beans in the Instacooker the last few times because it’s quicker, but I just use the bean button, at least that’s what Mrs. Barelfly tells me to do. So. This makes me want to dive into the info a bit and read this more as well as fzxdoc post. I made some a few weeks ago but perhaps could have used a little more time using the bean button??? Thanks for the post SheilaAnn and helping this novice Instacooker learn something new!