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The Best of Beans
Appears in
By Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso
Published 1989
The print edition of this book includes a chart called The Best of Beans. Please download a PDF of this chart here: workman.com/ebookdownloads
The Best of Beans
| BEAN | DESCRIPTION | SOAK | SIMMER | BEST |
| Aduki, or adzuki, beans | Small dark red Japanese beans; a litle sweet with a delicate texture | yes | 1 to 1½ hours | With Asian flavors, served with rice. |
| Black, or turtle, beans | Medium black-skinned ovals; rich earthly taste and soft texture | yes | 1 ½ hours | In Mexican and Latin American soups, stews, find sauces; also salads with colorful vegetables and southwestern flavors |
| Black-eyed peas | Medium creamy white ovals with a black spot; vegetable flavor and mealy texture | yes | 1 hour | In salads and with rice, greens, and pork. |
| Chick-peas, or gaxbanio beans | Large, round, wrinkled, tan peas; nutty flavor and crunchy texture | yes | 2 to 3 hours | In soups and stews but also purèed for dips. |
| Fava or broad beans | Large, flat ovals; assertive taste and firm texture | yes, then peel | 2 to 2½ hours | Purèed, (Peel these beans after soaking to remove the bitter skins.) |
| Kidney beans, rcct or while (while also called cannellini) | Large kidney-shaped beans; bland taste and soft texture but tough skins | yes | 1 ½ to 2 hours | Stewed with other flavorful ingredients. Red kidney beans are most often used in chili. The white cannellini beans are essential for Italian bean stews with tomatoes,herbs, and bits of sausage. |
| Lentils | Small, flat, round, button shapedgreen, brown, or pink; distinctive but mild taste with firm texture | no | 30 t0 40 minutes | Combined with grains or with vegetables in salads; also in soups and stews. |
| Lima beans | Flat, while ovals tinged with green; buy small dried limas for mild taste; all have soft, mushy texture | yes | 1 ½ hours | In soups and stews. |