Pinto beans are a high-fiber addition to your diet.
Pinto beans are frequently found in Mexican and Southwestern meals as a side dish or as part of the recipe. They are readily available at most supermarkets and identifiable by their beige color with brownish-red splotches.
Preparing Beans
Presoaking beans not only makes them easier to cook, but also makes them less likely to cause painful gas by reducing the indigestible sugars, or oligosaccharides. After removing any damaged beans and debris, thoroughly rinse the beans in cool water. Empty the clean beans into a Dutch oven or large saucepan and fill it with 3 cups of water per 1 cup of beans. Cover and leave the beans for six to eight hours or overnight. Once the beans are soaked, empty the water and rinse them again until the water runs clean. Another way to presoak beans is to boil the water for two minutes before removing the pot from the burner and covering for two hours.
Stove Top
When cooking beans on the stove top, add enough water to cover the pintos completely or, if you prefer to measure it out, add 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of beans. Bring the beans to a rolling boil before reducing the heat so they can simmer. Leave the beans to simmer for approximately two hours or until they are fork-tender. Stove top beans may be cooked with bacon or ham hocks for flavoring as well as chopped celery, onion, salt and other ingredients, such as oregano, basil or thyme.
Slow-Cooker
Making pinto beans in a slow-cooker allows you to slowly cook them even when you are not home. Unlike making stove top beans, there is no need to wait for them to come to a boil. Empty the soaked beans into the slow cooker along with ham hocks and seasoning. Season the beans according to your taste, however, chili powder, salt, pepper, chopped onion and oregano work well. Pour enough water in to cover the beans and ham hocks, then set the slow cooker to the lowest setting. Leave the cooker on for five to six hours or until they are tender.
Refried Beans
To make your beans into refried beans, cook them in a saucepan on the stove top with nothing other than water. Let the water boil, then simmer for approximately two hours or until the beans are tender. Use a potato masher or the back of a heavy spoon to mash the beans, using the liquid from the pan to keep it moist. In a skillet, saute a chopped onion in vegetable or olive oil until tender, then add the pinto bean mash and diced green chilies, cooking for 10 to 15 minutes or until some of the liquid evaporates.
Tags: beans into, hours until, approximately hours, approximately hours until, chopped onion, cook them
