Kitchen Tips: How to Cook Beans in the Crock-Pot

Step 1

First, sort the beans. Just quickly look through the beans and make sure there aren't any tiny rocks or bits of anything else in there with them.

Step 2

After the beans are sorted, pour them into the crock-pot. You don't want your beans to fill the pot more than about a third full. They will expand greatly as they cook. Now, fill the pot most of the way with water and cover with lid.

Step 3

Soak the beans for 8-24 hours. I try to soak mine 24 hours most of the time. When you are ready to cook them, just drain the water, refill with clean water and turn the Crock-pots on to low or high depending on what works best for you.

Step 4

I recommend cooking beans on low. I get the best results when cooking on low. However, I have cooked them on high numerous times if I needed them to be finished in time for dinner that night. Either way works, just stay aware of how close to finished they are. It's easy to overcook when the beans are on high.

Step 5

Different beans require different cooking times. I recommend cooking beans on low and after about 6-8 hours, start checking them every 30-60 minutes to see when they are soft.

Step 6

Once they are cooked, simply pour them into a strainer and wait for them to cool. Once they are mostly cool, scoop them into freezer bags for later use. I store my bags flat in the freezer. When things are stored flat, it makes it very easy to thaw and use in just minutes.