COOKING BEANS

I was initially disappointed with the size of my harvest for the amount of plot the crop took. That was until I read that dried beans triple in size during soaking and cooking. My jars of dried beans actually yielded many more meals than I initially thought they would.

Other bits of bean lore I discovered to improve my bean cuisine included:

• Soaking dried beans for 8-10 hours in a large bowl of cold water softens them before cooking, which reduces cooking time and also helps them cook evenly. Lentils and other small pulses do not need pre-soaking.

• Discarding the soaking liquid and cooking in fresh water may reduce flatulence, but some say this is a load of hot air and results in a loss of flavour in the bean. I tried both and didn’t notice an appreciable difference in either taste or breeziness.

• Don’t add any salt or acidic liquids such as vinegar until the end of cooking as these can slow down the cooking.

• A teaspoon of oil added to the cooking water can stop the beans foaming.

• Always cook beans on a gentle simmer. Rapid boiling will cause them to split, break up and cook unevenly.

• The best way to test for doneness is to taste the beans. When they are done they will be soft and creamy with no chalkiness, not wet and mushy.