Pulses quick questions thread.

maman

Great that this thread has come up, thanks Chezba, I thought I was going to have to wade through the pulses thread!

I went to replace my storecupboard tins of butter beans the other day and was horrified that at Asda the tins had halved in size doubled in price (at least it seemed that way but I hadn't needed to buy any for ages). I was going to come on here and ask where I could buy tins cheaply and then thought about 'cooking' my own.

I have an Indian grocer nearby so should be able to buy them easily. Now for more silly questions!!:o

Are the dried ones actually called butter beans?
As I don't have a slow cooker or pressure cooker, how long would I need to cook them on the hob after soaking?

Olliebeak

They can also be cooked (after soaking) in a Pressure Cooker - much quicker than the slow cooker or a pan on the hob . Just consult your manual/recipe leaflet that came with the pressure cooker.

Penelope_Penguin

sleepless_saver wrote: »

And part of the weight of the can contents is the water the beans are floating around in.

The cans I see have the gross weight and the drained weight - I use the latter to compare to dried pulses

Penny. x

thriftlady_2

When I freeze a whole packet of cooked beans I spread them out on a baking tray and freeze for half an hour or until they're hard. Then I gather them up in a bag. That way they are 'free-flowing' rather than in a clump;)

blahn

Didn't see this thread before...but I want to cook and freeze a load of chickpeas/kidney beans this week. I was reading that you undercook them slightly to maintain texture. I don't really want to do a small amount just to check though I probably should, so was just wondering if anyone had any idea how long to undercook it by? Apparently it's 3 minutes by pressure cooker, but I'll be doing it on the hob. Thanks for any help.

lolarentt

blahn wrote: »

Didn't see this thread before...but I want to cook and freeze a load of chickpeas/kidney beans this week. I was reading that you undercook them slightly to maintain texture. I don't really want to do a small amount just to check though I probably should, so was just wondering if anyone had any idea how long to undercook it by? Apparently it's 3 minutes by pressure cooker, but I'll be doing it on the hob. Thanks for any help.

I always use the microwave, usually on about half power, say 4-500, to stop them boiling over. It's easy to check if their done sufficiently

chezba

maman wrote: »

I have an Indian grocer nearby so should be able to buy them easily. Now for more silly questions!!:o

Are the dried ones actually called butter beans?
quote]

They should also be called butter beans in the dried section. They look the same dried anyway so you spot them amongst the other dried lentils etc. If you are going to you Indian supermarket may I also suggest getting some Toor dal (non-oily version) as they make a wonderul creamy lentil soup/dal. They are yellow/golden colour and bigger than red lentils but taste divine. You can get oily and non-oily versions but I use non-oily. I cook a lot of lentil dishes and they work great. IT's great having afather-in-law who is Mauritian as he has taught me to cook with lentils - before I met my husband I wouldn't have dreamed of using them or eating rice but now I buy it by the 20kg sack load! I'm planning to go to the Indian supermarket this week to do a 'stock-piling' shop of rice, lentils, flour, spices etc.

Tracy x

EagerLearner

.... and it's definately money-saving to do it this way... despite the use of electric etc?

I must admit, I just hate so many cans going to recycling and really want to reduce those by cooking in bulk.

Sadly thriftlady I can only aspire to a big freezer ... mine will have to go in little tupperwares, wherever I can squeeze 'em.

PS: I am only using the slow cooker as I have no pressure cooker, plus I like the idea that it'd all be done when I get in from work... :T

alison6692

Hiya

so sorry to be a pain but I don't know who to ask

Have just prepared this for my daughters dinner

http://www.netmums.com/food/Lentil_Spaghetti_Bolognese.1238/

I just rinsed the lentils and then put them in the pan with onions - should I have cooked them first?

Thanks

Alison - a very novice cook!

denton6

no you dont need to cook them first, they wil cook with the rest of the food in the pan.