Home-Cooked Beans

In colander, rinse beans well with cold water; discard any stones or shriveled beans. In 5-quart saucepot, place beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover pot; let beans soak overnight.

Drain beans and return to saucepot. Add onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, and 6 cups water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover and simmer 45 to 60 minutes or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. (Reserve 1 1/2 cups bean cooking liquid if making Red Beans and Rice.) Drain beans. Discard parsley and bay leaf. If not using beans right away, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Tips & Techniques For the best results, we recommend the overnight method of soaking beans, but if you're crunched for time, try this quick-soak technique: In large saucepot, combine rinsed beans and water, and heat to boiling; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and set aside for 1 hour. Proceed with step 2. The one drawback to this method: The beans tend to break up more easily than if soaked overnight. Use beans in Red Beans and Rice , Veggie Bean Burgers , and Pasta e Fagioli (if you plan to make all three recipes, soak and cook 2 pounds of beans).