NOTES ON MAKING BAKED BEANS
- Over the years I have heard from several people who note that the cooking time for some varieties of beans labelled as "white beans" have taken much longer to cook than the white navy beans I generally use. I suspect there are even differences in beans that are labelled navy beans. I once purchased some that looked much smaller than those I normally buy and strangely. they took far longer to cook than the larger ones.
- If you can, soak the beans for 48 hours instead of 24. This may help alleviate any problems with harder varieties of baked beans.
- Do not use beans that have been hanging around your cupboard for a long time. When you purchase fresh beans, store them in an airtight plastic container to ensure they do not dry out and harden even more than they are.
- In general leave plenty of time for your beans to cook, many baked beans can be an all day recipe. Some people prefer to make baked beans a day in advance and leave them to absorb even more moisture overnight. Add a cup or 2 of boiling water in the morning to loosen them up and reheat in the oven if necessary.
- Do not be afraid to add more liquid to the beans at any point during their long cooking time. This is perfectly normal and expected in my experience. I generally boil the kettle before checking the beans every couple of hours and add water as necessary. Boiling water is best because it won't slow down the cooking time. It is important that the beans do not dry out or you risk burning them to the bottom of the pan. As long as they do not burn, any batch of beans can be rescued with additional time and boiling water.