How to Prepare Dried Beans

Dried beans are more economical and easy to prepare from scratch

Here's how to prepare:
First, rinse and sort dried beans, discarding any blemished beans or dirt. Then soak:
To soak overnight: Cover dried beans with three times their volume in water and let soak for 12 hours or overnight. Drain.
For a QUICK soak: Cover dried beans with three times their volume in water and bring to boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for one hour. Drain.
To cook: Cover drained, soaked beans with three times their volume of fresh water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, and adding water if necessary, for about 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours, depending on age and type of bean. Drain.
To make it really easy, you can cook and freeze in quantities similar to the can sizes you usually use.
1 lb dry beans = 2 1/2 cups dry beans = about 7 1/2 cups cooked beans
1 cup dry beans = about 3 cups cooked beans
14 oz/398 ml can beans = about 1 1/2 cups drained beans
19 oz/540 ml can beans = about 2 cups drained beans