Spill the beans

April 13, 2008 1:43 AM

Do you cook beans in the water they soaked in or do you use fresh water?

I want to make Cuban beans from scratch (no cans). Some recipes say you should cook the beans in the water they soaked in, while others call for rinsing the soaked beans and using fresh water.

I want my beans to have plenty of not-too-runny "bean gravy". Which method is better to achieve this consistency? How does the use of one method over the other affect the final dish? I've heard that beans cooked in fresh water are easier on the digestive system but won't the gravy be too runny?

Bonus points for good Cuban bean recipes.

posted by juva to food & drink (12 comments total)

Throw out that starchy water and rinse the beans, filling again with cold water, then cook any way you want. It's hard to mess up a pot of beans.
posted by wordswinker at 1:48 AM on April 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

you really really need the recipe for frijoles negros in Memories of a Cuban Kitchen. Oh look, if you search Amazon inside for 222 you can get the recipe on pages 222-223. It comes out as promised, "rich and thick with a smooth opaque broth."

As an aside, this book has the deliciousest of all Cuban recipes in US cookbooks, I'm fairly convinced, and is whole-heartedly recommended by my ex-boyfriend's Cuban family, including his late grandmother whose Cuban cooking is uncontestedly the best I've had in Miami, Cuba, or anywhere else.

BUT if you want real Cuban black beans the way they're eaten in Cuba, just take that recipe and get rid of everything but the garlic, onion, oil, and salt. (And beans.)
posted by whatzit at 2:11 AM on April 13, 2008 [10 favorites]

I throw away the soak water too, unless I already have rinsed the beans well before soaking. The amount of water left after cooking really depends on the beans and varies from batch to batch: some beans absorb more, some less. If you feel the gravy is too watery, remove some liquid during the last 30 minutes of cooking and raise the temperature slightly.
posted by francesca too at 3:01 AM on April 13, 2008

Toss the water but know that you will lose some of the vitamins. Companies apply "blown on" powdered vitamins and then can claim additional value. If you rinse/soak the beans, there goes the vitamin level.
posted by zerobyproxy at 4:18 AM on April 13, 2008

Use the soak water to water plants with, unless you especially enjoy farting.
posted by flabdablet at 5:42 AM on April 13, 2008 [2 favorites]

Nthing fresh water. Also to thicken up the liquid, when the cooking is nearly done, scoop out a big spoonful of the now cooked beans, mush them up really good, and stir the mushed up beans back into the pot.
posted by happyturtle at 6:45 AM on April 13, 2008 [1 favorite]

You can use the soak water, but it's got a bit of residual dirt in it. However, the biggest reason not to use the soak water is that it has a large portion of the fart-causing long starches in it. If beans give you gas, you'll feel better if you go with fresh water.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:49 AM on April 13, 2008

I use happyturtle's method often and it works well. You can blitz some beans and a little water in a food processor and add the goop to the pot if you want it smooth.
What is in the bean gravy you want to create? You can add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the liquid, but I wouldn't add it if the flavors of the gravy are delicate.
posted by HotPatatta at 8:27 AM on April 13, 2008

Throw the water out.

If you keep the beans covered during cooking, they will give you that creamy bean broth you're wanting. You do have to be careful though so that the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pot. You only need about 1/2 inch of water to cover. Keep the temperature on medium low so that they are on a gentle simmer and stir regularly.
posted by mamaquita at 9:04 AM on April 13, 2008

Rancho Gordo, the purveyor of amazingly good heirloom beans that, if you taste them, will redefine beans as you know them, say:

Add the beans and their soaking water to a large pot. You have been told before to change the water and rinse the beans. The thinking now is that vitamins and flavor can leech out of the beans into the soaking water you are throwing down the sink. There is no scientific evidence that changing the water cuts down on the gas.
posted by judith at 9:14 AM on April 13, 2008

reiterating... soak water = farts.
posted by Dave Faris at 11:16 AM on April 13, 2008

Thanks for all the answers! I went with whatzit's recipe, soak water 'n' all, and it was DELICIOUS; exactly what I was hoping for.
Even if my stomach starts to rock, it will have been absolutely worth it.
posted by juva at 12:17 PM on April 13, 2008