cooking beans

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:05 am

Does anybody know if it's possible to cook beans in the microwave?

The reason I ask is this:

A friend left for the summer and gave me a big bag of 15 bean soup. It's a big bag of 15 different kinds of beans that you cook and make into a soup by adding things like onions, marigolds, dandelions, and tomatoes (at least, that's what I'm going to add). But I have not been cooking them--I have been sprouting them on a plate and paper towel and eating the sprouted seeds with mustard on a sandwich. I knew about sprouting them because when I had a pet bird a few years ago, he loved to eat sprouted legumes and I ate them with him.

Anyway, the bag is rather large and if I only sprout them I will have this same bag of beans for a long time.

The cooking directions on the bag say to cook them for 60 minutes. I don't have access to a stove top, but I do a microwave. Will a "microwave-safe" dish actually withstand 60 minutes of cooking? My logic sense is telling me yes, that's what "microwave-safe" means. But my common sense is telling me no, it will certainly melt.

That's what I'm asking here.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:13 am

First hit in google: 88 recipes for microwaving beans.

http://www.recipezaar.com/r/144/95

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:14 am

Edited for being tangential

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:14 am

You wouldn't microwave them for 60 minutes, Cran. Microwaves reduce the cooking time.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:15 am

You don't understand Beth. My question is about the bowl. I want to know if it will melt. The recipes don't speak to that, unfortunately.

Edit--thanks to the others who replied while I was typing this response. That makes sense. I'm glad I asked instead of cooking them for 60 minutes.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:17 am

Microwaves don't 'cook' the bowl. If the bowl can withstand boiling temps, then it's fine.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:19 am

But the recipes DO say to use a casserole dish (the ones I looked at did anyway) which are typically ceramic. You didn't say what material your microwave-safe container is. My instinct tells me that while plastic may be microwave-proof for short periods (say up to 10 minutes or so), I wouldn't count on them to stay microwave-proof for very long periods (45-min plus). But maybe they are. I've never tried it.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:22 am

Thank you again Beth. That makes sense too, and it's also what my instincts tell me, too. I think I will just continue to sprout them and eat them, or wait until I can find a stove top. Thanks again everybody.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:25 am

FJohnSharp wrote:Microwaves don't 'cook' the bowl. If the bowl can withstand boiling temps, then it's fine.

Yup, the bowl would probably be fine, but the food would be wrecked, because the water would all boil away.

If you were eating them as beans, I'd recommend soaking them in water for 24 hours before cooking, then cooking for 10 minutes only, check how they're doing, stir, and try a few more minutes if they're still not soft enough to eat.

If you're eating them after they've sprouted, the soaking & cooking time would be reduced.

Be careful because some beans can be poisonous if not cooked thoroughly.

I'm sure you'll get lots of good info from some of the great cooks on this board. I just didn't want you to wreck your microwave.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:27 am

Maybe you can get a microwave-save ceramic dish and lid at Goodwill or the Salvation Army or something...

I found <a href="http://howthingswork.virginia.edu/micro ... l">another site</a> that says "If a plate is 'microwave safe,' it will barely absorb the microwaves and heat extremely slowly." So it will still heat up over time. Be careful. And use the online recipes to get a feel for how long they should be cooked for.

Martin Milner wrote:Yup, the bowl would probably be fine, but the food would be wrecked, because the water would all boil away.

Yes, when I reheat bowls of rice I put a small glass of water into the microwave with the bowl, this seems to prevent all the water from getting boiled out of the rice.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:23 am

Those are great ideas, Beth!

When I sprout them I don't cook them, I just eat them plain like that or with mustard on bread. I like them crunchy.

Ten beans allowed to grow for five days is enough to make a whole sandwich (in my windowsill, at least) so that's why I think it will take a long time to sprout the whole bag. I think it's a five pound(ish) bag.

Redwolf · Post by **Redwolf** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:24 am

If you're going to Goodwill anyway, pick up a crock pot/slow cooker. You can generally get them dead cheap in any thrift/discount store (or even at a garage sale), and they will cook beans a treat. I use mine all the time.

Redwolf

Sliabh Luachra · Post by **Sliabh Luachra** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:36 am

Good Lord, Cran!

You're going to waste away if all you're eating is bean sprouts and bread with mustard. Send me your snail mail, and I'll send you my crock pot. I don't use it much anymore. I'm also going to send you some rice to go with those beans. You won't get complete protein just by eating beans. You need to combine them with rice or corn.

How the heck are you going to get through school if you never have the energy to get out of your room because you don't eat. Geez!

Mark

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:50 am

You make it sound so bad. I do eat other things, like mentos and diet coke!

Thank you *so much* for the kind and generous offer of a crock pot and rice, but I think it would cost too much to mail. I'm going to look for one at the thrift store as soon as it cools down (it's 94ºF outside), probably in a few days.

hyldemoer · Post by **hyldemoer** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:51 am

avanutria wrote:First hit in google: 88 recipes for microwaving beans.

http://www.recipezaar.com/r/144/95

I didn't run through all 88 but the ones I did take a look at were using either precooked beans or canned beans (and canned beans ARE cooked beans).

Cran, dried beans?
I think you'd probably burn out the microwave oven long before the beans cooked if they did cook.
Microwave ovens cook by stimulating the OH stretch bands in it (= they heat up the water in the food). Dried beans don't contain much water.

Even if you were to cook the beans on a stove top you'd want to soak the dried beans for several hours first and then change the water before you cook them in water.
But a microwave oven?
The lower the heat you cook dried beans at the more tender they'll become and the more time there will be for what ever seasonings you put in the pot with the beans to soak into the beans.

My suggestion is accept Sliabh's very nice gift of a crock pot if you can't find one in a thrift shop.
I use my crock pots about 2 or 3 times a week. I find them a real aid in dealing with nutrition in today's busy world.

My favorite way of cooking beans, however, is in a cast iron dutch oven in my oven set low or outside with a few charcoal placed over and under.

Cran, you mention onions, marigolds, dandelions, and tomatoes.
I can understand the onions and tomatoes as traditional but why the marigolds (Calendula officinalis and NOT Tagetes erecta or T patula?) and Dandelion?

I know Dale will have a fit if I go all medical on you but Calendula and Dandelion might not be helpful to you're health as it is right now.
For that matter onions and tomatoes might create an adventure.

Maybe you might want to consult a nutritionist and/or herbalist for some advice?