When It’s Too Damned Hot to Cook Beans (I Have No Sympathy For You!)

I hear it all at this time of year.
“It’s too hot to cook!”
“The last thing I want to do during my vacation is stand over and hot stove and fuss over beans!”
“I promise, I’ll cook them again when it’s bean weather.”

I feel your pain but I have no actual sympathy. Some think of beans as just as cold weather treat but is a better pal for all the goods coming off the grill? What’s more refreshing than a bean salad, providing a cool creamy counterpart to the all the crunch? No, bean belong in your kitchen all year long!

One of the best techniques is the slow cooker. It doesn’t require that you heat up the kitchen by using the stove and it takes maybe four minutes of prep time and then you’re done. Now you can make a salad, have a side dish for your grill or just indulge in a simple bowl of legume love.

Here’s my technique:

So if you have a few extra pounds in your pantry, or if the Rancho Gordo Bean Club is delivering a little too well, go out and embrace summer, accompanied by your heirloom beans. They won’t let you down!

Published by

Steve Sando

I dig beans.

16 thoughts on “When It’s Too Damned Hot to Cook Beans (I Have No Sympathy For You!)”

  1. Even better – use an Instant Pot. Or cook your beans in a clay pot in your outside grill or smoker. Cold leftover beans are a particularly nice thing to stir into a salad to make a hearty meal on hot summer days.

  2. I am totally sold on the Instant Pot. I made Santa Maria Pinquitos in mine last week; put them in unsoaked with some chopped onion, set the time for 30 min, let them cool 10 min before opening the steam vent, and voila! beautiful beans in less than an hour, total. And just a few minutes of steam in the kitchen. (They actually could have cooked in a bit less than 30 min, as they were starting to break apart – perfect for what I wanted them for, but for salad, etc., they should have come out sooner.)

      1. Would love the URL for that cooking times flyer, Steve!
        No IP here yet, but my pressure cooker works fine, and after a daytime soak (around 8 hours or so) my Royal Coronas only need 15 minutes of pressure with natural release for good salad consistency, after being drained and chilled. Just getting the beans tender enough without breaking works best in salads for me, and I love the control of the pressure cooker for that.

  3. So, we are having our family reunion this week-end, the temps are in the nineties and I am cooking the Marcella beans to make the heirloom bean dip. Using the slow cooker outside so our motorhome doesn’t heat up. Can’t wait to taste this!!

  4. When it’s really hot out there I put that bean- filled slow cooker outside and plug it in to my back patio outlet. While I don’t get to come home to that great aroma, I DO get to come home to a cooler house😄 Feeling your pain with the heat, Steve and friends – It’s 102 degrees outside as I share this comment!

  5. Always cook up with your pounds and put half of it in the freezer. Boons freeze really well and come out of the freezer tasting delicious. I just put them in the refrigerator the day before I want to use them they defrost in and easy way. You never have to go without beans just because it’s hot outside.

  6. No, I didn’t see the flyer, it’s waaay too hot here in Phoenix to get the mail! But, still get email ;p

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