1 Pound Great Northern White Beans, dry 8 Cups Water
Sift through the beans, looking for small stones or chunks of dirt.
Rinse off the beans.
Place the beans and water into a large bowl.
Place the bowl in the fridge overnight.
Next day:
Pour beans and water into a large pan.
Place pan over high heat and bring to a boil.
Let the beans boil for a minute or two.
A white foam will come to the top of the pan..
Place a large colander into the sink.
Pour the beans into the colander and discard the water.
Rinse and spray the beans and pan to remove all of the foam.
Place the Beans back into the pan.
Add cold water to the pan.
Water should cover the beans by two inches.
Bring beans to a gentle simmer.
Simmer beans for one hour and forty-five minutes. until tender.
Some beans will take longer, depending on how old they are.
You will need to add more simmering hot water from time to time.
Always keep the beans covered by one or two inches of water as the are simmering.
Beans will plump and absorb water as they cook.
Keep a pan of simmering water on the stove while the beans are cooking.
Add the water as needed, like risotto.
When beans are cooked tender, remove from heat and add a few handfuls of ice to the pan to stop the cooking.
When beans are cool place back into the colander to strain off the water.
Place beans into a storage bag or container and cover.
Place in the fridge until needed.
New Taste Over-Thinking:
When I strain boiled items into this colander I always place a bowl into the sink and then place the colander into the bowl. I know it may be overkill but the sink is the bacteria center of the kitchen. If you have ever strained alot of water into the sink you may have noticed that the food sitting in the bottom of the colander is directly connected to your dirty drain-pipe by the water that is draining in the sink. Clearly the water is going down and the fact that it is boiling would make you think it would kill any germs in the sink, but just in case......use the bowl!
