white Beans and sasage question

Yep what the Levis hater said.

If you're talking about great northern beans, I cover then with water (2 inches over top of beans), take them to a simmer, remove from the heat then soak them overnight. The next day, drain water, rinse once in cool water and then cook for maybe two hours. I don't like to salt them for the first hour of cooking because I believe the salt makes them tougher.

If tough beans are what you are going after, then salt away. Some add carrot and onion to their beans. I see you are adding sausage. That is nice and ham or pork chops or salt pork are nice also.
Add the meat right away when you start cooking them the second day.

quote:

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you're talking about great northern beans, I cover then with water (2 inches over top of beans), take them to a simmer, remove from the heat then soak them overnight. The next day, drain water, rinse once in cool water and then cook for maybe two hours. I don't like to salt them for the first hour of cooking because I believe the salt makes them tougher.

If tough beans are what you are going after, then salt away. Some add carrot and onion to their beans. I see you are adding sausage. That is nice and ham or pork chops or salt pork are nice also.
Add the meat right away when you start cooking them the second day.

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I learned a trick about beans and salt from America's Test Kitchen. For red beans (and I think it would apply to great northerns, too), put salt in the soak water overnight (about 3/4 cup per gallon, I think). They said the salt causes a chemical exchange in the skin, making it cook faster. Rinse them well in the morning and cook as usual. Because the skins cook faster, you don't wind up with a bunch of tough deflated skins in a bean puree.

I used to believe the bit about salt making beans take longer to cook, but this America's Test Kitchen tip really works.

When you grow up as poor as we did, beans are a staple.
My mom would soak them with salt and rinse them in the morning.
It works well that way. I love every kind of bean there is, and have had many many different kinds prepared many different ways, but most of them are prep'd the same way.

Add a pinch of cinammon to white beans towards the end of cooking.

Once my beans come to a boil I cut them down to a low simmer and take my time. I never have tough beans.

I soak if I have time.