Rancho Gordo Beans and Bean Club

[Purc]

klflowers Don't forget to wear your shirt during the Zoom meeting.

[fzxdoc]

CRO , there is really no need to soak RG beans for softening purposes unless it makes you feel good. It just adds a step to cooking these fresher-than-grocery-store beans. However there is a good reason for soaking beans. Read on.

Beans have a toxin called lectin in them. Red kidney beans have the most of this toxin, white cannellini beans have about 1/3 of what red kidney beans have, and fava beans have about 5 to 10% of that amount. The FDA has reported that the effect of lectin toxins in beans can cause vomiting within an hour or so followed by diarrhea. Hospitalizations for this poisoning are rare but some have been reported to the FDA. The FDA also reports that eating as few as 3 to 5 improperly cooked red kidney beans has brought on these symptoms in some people.

Happily, lectins are killed by high heat. This is the main reason why I use an Instant Pot instead of the stovetop method. Water at our altitude boils at 207°, and 212° is what is recommended to kill lectins. Pressure cookers get much hotter than 212°. If you're at sea level, you'll be just fine with your pot on the cooktop method.

Slow Cookers may not get hot enough, according to the FDA, and therefore should not be used for red kidney beans. Slow cooker cooking temps average around 188° for the Low setting, and can reportedly get to 205-215 or so on High, but when I test my three slow cookers (all different brands), the High temps with a half-full or more pot, their High temps range from 195° to 205°.

For red kidney beans, the FDA recommends

• Soak beans for at least five hours in water. Change the water periodically, but it’s not necessary for safety.
• Drain the beans from the final soaking water.
• Boil beans in fresh water for at least 30 minutes. Note: The toxin is destroyed when boiled at 212 degrees F for 10 minutes, but scientists recommend 30 minutes to be certain the beans reach the proper temperature for the amount of time necessary. Don’t use a slow cooker: It likely won’t get hot enough.

I don't soak RG beans, but I do cook them, as I said, in an Instant Pot, which reaches temperatures under pressure of 239° to 245°.

As you can see here, many of us RG fans have settled on our favorite way to cook their beans. Find what works best for you and enjoy eating those beans!

Kathryn

[CRO]

Water boils at 210 at my altitude. So a 20 - 30 minute stove top boil is probably good?
I'm stating this with the same assumption that a longer cook time will make up for lower temps?

[fzxdoc]

CRO , at my altitude, that's what I would do, too, if I didn't use an IP.

K.

[CRO]

fzxdoc Thanks!!
I like using my small Le Creuset pot. I usually can cook a pound of beans in about two hours.

[fzxdoc]

Donw, there's a sweet spot in IP cook times and times to pressure release in an IP. I almost always do an NPR (Natural Pressure Release), that is, letting the IP decompress by itself, which takes about 40 min. The IP is in Keep Warm mode all this time.

I set cook times based on the age of the bean and its size. Remember that I cook at 3700ft altitude so you need to adjust these cook times accordingly depending on your altitude.

These IP Time settings on High are for 1lb 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. (Freshly delivered GMS turned out good at 65 min, High, NPR in a sea-level 2024 cook.)

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)

When making up your own IP Bean Cooking Chart it's always better to start with a lower cook time and if the beans are not yet done, let them simmer merrily away on the Saute setting on the IP. For example, Meathead says he cooks his beans for 20 min in the IP and then simmers them the rest of the way to doneness.

Kathryn

[Dan Deter]

I just copied this because I've been trying to find a good guideline...

[MBMorgan]

Same here. Thanks, Kathryn!

[Donw]

Thank you. I’ll try GMSs one more time using your guidance and hope for success. I will reduce the time by 15 minutes and see what state they are in. I can always simmer longer if needed.

[klflowers]

So I actually called in to the Rancho Gordo zoom meeting yesterday and it was pretty interesting. Alison Roman (https://www.alisoneroman.com/) was a guest, and she had some interesting takes on farming and beans. I may buy her cookbook Something From Nothing (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/b...-alison-roman/) because I don't have enough cookbooks I don't use.

Steve Sando discussed several new bean varieties they have access to, some of which will be in the next club box. A young lady that is with Rancho Gordo was on the call, and they listed what is going to be in the next club shipment. There are now 30k members of the club. He also mentioned that he soaks his beans for a couple hours before cooking when he has time, but not overnight. And they discussed how to grow your own beans, something I had no business listening to. Because I have a big, empty back yard...

All in all it wasn't a wasted hour. I'm glad I called in. It is official now - I am a bean nerd.

[yakima]

Last year I toyed with the 3 sisters idea. Corn, pole beans, squash. Did not do anything, but it is an old Native American growing technique which I find interesting.

[klflowers]

Carolyn no little kids. My grands are in VA; they visit, but not enough to fool with something like that. They do have a room with dollhouses and toys here though lol

[fzxdoc]

I've read several times in Steve's recipes and newsletters that he likes soaking his beans for about 2 hours. When comes to cooking beans, I don't usually think far enough ahead to soak. It would be fun to do a side by side with a divided bag of beans to see if there is a difference. Soaking might reduce the cook time in the IP?

He also tosses the soaking water into the pot with the beans, something that is probably not a good idea if he's serving an FDA inspector.

K.

[ecowper]

Celebrating with you Kevin .... klflowers

[Donw]

I have really enjoyed the Good Mother Stallard beans I received from RG but unfortunately when I went to repurchase they were out of stock. Luckily through the Pit I found another source. I may try growing some in the garden this year. When researching I learned about the woman the bean is named after and thought I would share:

”When Carrie Belle Stallard was born on 22 January 1900, in Wise, Wise, Virginia, United States, her father, George Harmon Stallard, was 35 and her mother, Lucy Louemma Powers, was 25. She married Leonard Clarence Addington on 24 January 1922, in Gladeville, Wise, Virginia, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son. She lived in Roberson District, Wise, Virginia, United States in 1900 and Gladeville, Wise, Virginia, United States in 1940. She died on 6 July 1977, in Norton, Wise, Virginia, United States, at the age of 77.”

Thank you for the great pots of “Good Mother Stallard” beans many of us have enjoyed.

[ecowper]

Love it, thanks for sharing

[fzxdoc]

So those beans were passed down through the generations thanks to Carrie Bell Stallard. I'm glad they landed on my plate.

Kathryn