Quicky - How Long Can You Keep Prepped Beans

[xenithon]

Hi All,

Having recently added beans to my diet I find them a wonderful addition. I have been using canned beans, but these have tons of salt, many have HFCS and added sugars and there is not much variety of canned beans. I would thus like to make my own. I can get plenty of raw beans such as black, kidney, butter (lima), broad (fava), black-eye, pinto, lentils, chickpeas.

Being kind of anal, I normally always measure out foods before preparing a meal, but this aint exactly possible with beans as they have a long prep time. I thus wanted to know how long beans can be kept once they are prepared.

X

[Steve_W]

Unfortunately only around 3 days.

[night-trainer]

Do you mean after you have soaked them?
If so, measure it up the night before and leave them in a bowl to soak, that way they are all ready to eat the next day.

[night-trainer]

Or you can find oraganic tinned beans from health shops, no added salt, sugar, preservative, or anything else you dont want, just beans.

[xenithon]

Hi there,

I mean after they are prepared. I know that you have to soak them overnight, and then you boil them for 40-60 minutes (depending on which beans they are). After that, how long can you keep them? Also, if I weight a certain amount out and soak them overnight, how long can they stand like that before the boiling process?

Thanks,
X

PS. No such luck with the organic or other healthier tinned beans - limited availability here in SA.

[burton]

If you're going to make them from bulk you should do extra and then put them in a freezer bag laying flat in the freezer and they'll stay good for at least a month. Thats what I do. Comes in handy. Just take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge the night before you want to use them to defrost them.

[xenithon]

Sounds easy enough Burton thanks. Do you put it in the freezer after soaking them or after soaking AND boiling them?

X

[night-trainer]

I would guess after boiling, otherwise it would be just as easy to soak them overnight I assume.

[burton]

I've always done it after boiling them. Let them cool a bit first though. When you're going to have them again boil them for a few more mins. I make a big batch of soup and put them in lots, its good protein and fibre.

[A.FreeRadical]

For canned beans, I put these in a strainer and wash off the sugars, salt etc.

I keep beans (rice and beans) for up to a week in the refrigerator. When I re-heat them I microwave with a cover to steam them.

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aA.FreeRadical a