How To Cook Dry Beans

Did you know that a 1 pound bag of dry beans --which sells for under $1-- can yield 7-8 cups of cooked beans? That's about 1/3 the cost of canned beans--- but that's not the only reason I prefer cooking with dried beans. I believe they are also superior in taste and texture, freshly cooked dried beans don't have that tinny canned taste and if cooked properly are never mushy.
I started cooking with dried beans when I was a  young wife & mother trying to not only to make our dollar stretch but desiring to cook good healthy meals for my little family. We so enjoyed the taste and texture and got so many compliments on such simple dishes as re-fried beans and baked beans that even when  we could afford canned beans we never went back!
So after many years of  cooking dried beans I think I have a little Bean Knowledge to pass on to the next  generation ; ) First let's start with a few simple but very important bean basics.

Never never add salt to dry beans before they are fully cooked or else they may not ever become tender. 1 pound bag of dried beans will make 7- 8 cups cooked beans depending on the size of bean you are using. Garbanzo beans are sometimes difficult to cook from the dry method and do require the most cooking time of all beans.  You do not need to pre-soak lentils, peas, or black eyed peas as they only require their cooking time usually suggested on the back of the bag. Add 2-3 bay leaves when cooking them for added flavor! Just remove before using in a recipe.  First sort through and look for any rocks or dirt and then give the beans a good rinse.  Place the beans in a large pot covering them with at least 3 inches of water, they will more than double in size. Remove any floaters as these are usually bad. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and cover. Leave them to soak for 1 hour off the heat. This process is called "The Quick Soak Method" and is equivalent to soaking them over night.  Rinse this water off (This rinse helps relieve some of the gas problems usually associated with eating beans) Add new fresh water (and bay leaves if using) covering by only 1 inch this time and bring to a boil. Bring to a low but steady simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes -1 1/2 hours or until soft and easily squished between your fingers. Every type bean has a different cooking time: see chart below!   At this point I like to give them another good rinse and then proceed with chosen bean recipe calling for cooked/canned beans.
~Cooking Time Chart~ Black Beans 50 - 60 minutes Pinto Beans 1 hour Red Beans 1 hour Great Northern Beans 50- 60 minutes Garbanzo 1 1/2 hours Kidney 1 1/4 hours (If kidney beans are under cooked they can actually be toxic) Navy Beans 50 -60 minutes Cannellini 1 1/4 hours Fava 1 hour I always check my beans at about 3/4 of the suggested time as sometimes they do cook up quicker.