Old guy at the firehouse showed me his bean recipe

He told me to soak dry beans overnight, then cook them with a bay leaf and a ham hock. Cost him like $4 for a pot that fed 4 people for 3 days. Anyone else got a good trick for stretching beans further?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_brown1mo ago

Oh COME ON, you really think soaking beans overnight and simmering them for hours is the way to go? That's a total waste of time and energy. I tried that "old timer" method once and ended up with mushy, bland beans that my kids wouldn't even touch. The REAL trick is to skip the overnight soak entirely and just use canned beans. You can get a can of good quality black beans for like $1.50 and it's ready in 5 minutes. Plus you don't have to plan three days ahead just to have a halfway decent meal. That bay leaf and ham hock thing is overrated too, just toss in some cumin and garlic powder and you're done.

lee_butler1mo ago

Did you actually season the water and cook them low and slow, or just boil the heck out of them and hope for the best?