Cheap, filling, and quietly one of the best things you can eat, beans get their own day on January 6. National Bean Day lands at the perfect time of year, when a hot pot of something hearty is exactly what the cold weather calls for.
Cook a pot from dry
Dried beans cost a fraction of canned and taste noticeably better, with a creamier texture and their own flavorful broth as a bonus. Cover them with plenty of water, add aromatics like onion, garlic, and a bay leaf, and simmer gently until tender, which can take one to two hours depending on the bean and its age. Keep them at a bare simmer rather than a hard, rolling boil so they cook evenly without bursting. The starchy cooking liquid left behind, sometimes called bean broth, is liquid gold for soups and sauces.
Salt early, not late
You may have heard that salting beans early makes them tough, but the opposite is closer to the truth. Salting the water from the start, or brining dried beans overnight in salted water, actually seasons them all the way through and helps the skins soften. Beans cooked in plain water and salted only at the very end taste flat by comparison. Season boldly, and taste as you go so you can adjust.
Build a hearty pot
Beans are the backbone of some of the world’s most satisfying cheap meals. Simmer them into a chili, a smoky pot of pinto beans, a Tuscan white bean soup, or a pot of black beans for rice and tacos. A little smoked meat, a parmesan rind, or a spoon of miso adds deep savory flavor for very little money. Make a big batch, because beans only get better the next day and freeze beautifully.
A bag of dried beans and a little patience is one of the best deals in all of cooking. Few dollars stretch as far or feed as well.
Keep canned beans stocked
When there is no time to cook from dry, canned beans are an honest pantry hero. Keep a few cans of chickpeas, black beans, and cannellini on the shelf for near-instant meals. Draining and rinsing them washes off the thick, salty liquid and improves the texture for salads and sautes, though you can keep that liquid to thicken soups if you like. Either way, National Bean Day is a fine excuse to build a meal around this humble, mighty staple.
How to celebrate
- 1Cook a pot from dry
Cover dried beans with plenty of water, add onion, garlic, and a bay leaf, and simmer gently until tender, which can take one to two hours depending on the bean. Keep it at a bare simmer so they cook evenly without bursting. Save the flavorful cooking liquid for soups and sauces.
- 2Salt early, not late
Contrary to old kitchen advice, salting from the start actually seasons beans all the way through and helps the skins soften. Better still, brine dried beans overnight in salted water. Beans salted only at the very end taste noticeably flat by comparison.
- 3Build a hearty pot
Simmer beans into chili, a pot of smoky pintos, a Tuscan white bean soup, or black beans for tacos and rice. A parmesan rind, some smoked meat, or a spoon of miso adds deep savory flavor for pennies. Make a big batch, since beans improve overnight and freeze beautifully.
- 4Keep cans stocked
When there is no time to cook from dry, canned beans are an honest pantry hero. Keep chickpeas, black beans, and cannellini on hand for near-instant meals. Drain and rinse them for salads, or hold onto the liquid to thicken soups.
- 5Try aquafaba
The liquid from a can of chickpeas, called aquafaba, whips up like egg whites into a surprising vegan meringue or a foam for cocktails. It is a fun little kitchen experiment for the day. Nothing from the can needs to go to waste.