How To Dehydrate Fresh Beans For Long-Term Storage

Beans are a versatile food that can be used to make various flavorful meals, such as chili, white bean and pasta stew, and black beans with rice. The food comes in a variety of different forms. Most commonly, you can purchase beans in a can or raw in a bag. If you prefer the latter, you are probably aware that dried beans can take multiple hours to cook. However, the final result may taste better than its canned counterpart, although there are many tried-and-tested ways to make canned beans taste homemade. The canning process can result in beans that are overly salty or have a slightly metallic taste. Canned beans may also have a softer texture than desired. So, how do you get the delicious taste of fresh beans with the easiness of canned beans? Consider cooking a batch of dried beans and then dehydrating them.

Now, the idea may sound intimidating but dehydrated food is nothing new. Beef jerky is simply dehydrated beef, and you can even make it in the oven. Shelf-stable pasta and herbs are other common dehydrated goods. Fruits can also be dehydrated with popular options being apples, cranberries, and bananas. Dehydrating beans is a simple, yet rather time-consuming process. However, in the end, it will totally pay off. All you have to do is prepare and cook your fresh beans, as usual. Then, drain the cooked beans and stick them in your dehydrator for eight to 10 hours. Voila! You now have beans that will last for multiple months in the pantry.

When it comes to dehydrating beans, any type of bean works. To start, pick through and rinse your beans to get rid of any small rocks or dirt. From there, you have several different options. You can soak the beans in water overnight or use a quick soak method. For a quick soak, put the raw beans in a pot with water and a dash of salt, and bring to a boil. Then remove from the heat and let the beans soak for an hour. If you are going to cook the beans in a pressure cooker — one of the easiest method to cook dry beans — then you don't need to soak them at all. Additionally, beans with thin skin can skip the soaking process.

After the preparation is done, you can cook the beans using your favorite method. As for seasonings, you can leave the beans simple with salt and pepper so they work well in many different meals or season them for a specific meal. Once cooked, simple drain the beans and place them in a dehydrator in a single layer. According to some Reddit users, you can also dehydrate beans on the stove, but it is more challenging. After the beans are dehydrated, store them in an airtight container. To rehydrate the beans, all you need to do is add hot water and allow them to cook for a few minutes. You can also add them directly into a boiling soup or another liquid.