Kitchen Know Hows: Cooking Pinto Beans

In the south, we love pinto beans. We love them with onions and ketchup on top. We like eating them with cornbread and cole slaw. We like them in chili beans and taco soup. Pinto beans in a can are okay, but they are much better and healthier if you start with dry pinto beans. The only problem is how to cook the perfect pinto bean. 

It has taken me years to perfect the perfect cooking method for pinto beans. I have tried many ways of soaking them. I have followed the advice of the older women in my life. I have read other professional cooks advice and tried it. I have researched ways on the internet and tried them, but the pintos never came out just right. They were either mushy or still hard as a rock. However, over the past year, I have found the method that works for me. 

Here is my method for cooking pinto beans and what you will need. 

• dry pinto beans
• a large bowl to wash them in
• a large bowl to soak them in
• a large pot ~ preferably a cast iron or enamel pot

Pour the amount of pintos you want into a large bowl. Fill with water and stir a little. Hand full by hand full lift pintos out of bowl looking for blemished pintos and sorting out the broken beans, then place in the other large bowl. 

When the pintos have been washed and placed in the other bowl, pour water into the bowl making sure the pintos are covered with 1 to 2inches of water. Soak for 8 hours. 

After 8 hours, pour the pintos and water into a colander to drain off the water, then rinse off the pintos with clean water. Pour the pintos in the large pot. Cover the beans with 1 to 2 inches of clean water. Place pot on a burner and turn on high to bring the pintos to a boil. When they come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Let the pintos simmer for an hour and a half. After a hour and a half, remove the pot from the burner and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then you will have the perfect pintos to eat or add to a dish. 

This is the best way I have found to cook pinto beans. If you have a foolproof method or a tried and true method, I would love to hear it. I have found my way to be the best for me, but the pintos can still turn out mushy. So I am forever looking for ways to perfect pintos! 

Living life simply and enjoying simple dishes like pinto beans and cornbread! Enjoy!