Great Northern bean

Browse All Great Northern bean Recipes



Description
Great Northern beans are a North American bean, which is popular in France for making cassoulet (a white bean casserole) and in the whole Mediterranean where many beans of a similar appearance are cultivated. These beans have a delicate flavor, thin skin, and are flat, kidney shaped, medium-sized white beans. Great Northern Beans are high in fiber, a good source of protein and iron, and are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.

Storage

 * Store dry beans in a cool, dry place off the floor. High temperatures cause hardening of the dry beans; high humidity may cause mold.
 * Store cooked great northern beans in a covered non-metallic container and refrigerate. Use within 2 days or freeze.

Uses and Tips

 * Cooked great northern beans may be used in salads, soups, stews, casseroles and chili, or as a side dish. They are also excellent mixed with rice.
 * Try seasoning great northern beans with bay leaves, cilantro, garlic, oregano, parsley, or thyme while cooking.

Preparation
Soaking not only makes the beans cook faster, but by discarding the soaking water, gas-causing compounds may be reduced. Sort beans to remove foreign matter, such as small stones, dark or odd shaped beans. Rinse in a colander under cold water.

Directions for Soaking Dry Great Northern Beans
There are four ways to soak beans, depending on how far in advance you plan and how much time you have, you can decide which method of soaking will work best for you.

Hot Soak
In a stockpot, bring 10 cups water to a boil. Add 1 pound dried beans and return to a boil. Remove from the heat; cover tightly and set aside at room temperature 2–3 hours. Drain and rinse the beans.

Overnight Method
In a large pot, add 1 pound dry beans to 10 cups cold water. Cover. Let stand in refrigerator overnight. Drain and discard soaking water. Rinse the beans. Replace water and cook immediately after soaking period. Longer periods of soaking are not recommended.

Quick Soak Method
In a large pot, pour dry beans into boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to set for 1 hour. Drain and discard soaking water and proceed with cooking.

Gas-Free Soak
In a stockpot, place 1 pound of beans in 10 or more cups of boiling water; boil for 2–3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight. The next day approximately 75 to 90 percent of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water. Drain, and then rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking them.

Cooking
Use approximately 1¾ quarts boiling water for each pound of soaked beans to be cooked. Add herbs or spices (not salt), as desired. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender for about 90 minutes. Boiling beans will break the skins and leave you with a mushy meal. Add more water if the beans are not covered. Add additional boiling water if beans become dry. Drain, if desired.

When the beans are tender, drain and use in recipes; or for later use, immerse them in cold water until cool, then drain well and freeze in 1- to 2-cup packages. One pound of dried beans will yield about 5 or 6 cups cooked beans.

Pressure Cooking
This is one of the quickest ways to cook beans. After you've soaked 1/2 pound of beans, place them in a 4-quart pressure cooker with 4 cups water. Cook at 15 pounds pressure following the manufacturer's directions for the type of legume you are cooking.

 MY EDIT to the method above : If you live in a High-Altitude, (I live at 7,500-ft), Pressure Cooking is not just the quickest way, it is the ONLY  way, to cook Beans. The reason being that High-Altitudes have lower Air-Pressure; thus, the temperature of boiling water is lower; thus, it takes longer to cook anything having to do with liquid, (such as beans, braising meats i.e. pot roast, etc).

This is my method for Pressure-Cooked Gasless Beans

Rinse and then Soak a bag of Beans (16-oz/1-lb) overnight.

Drain off the water and put Beans in at least a 6-qt Pressure Cooker.

Add Water to two-inches above Beans. DO NOT overfill Pressure Cooker per Mfg. directions.

Add 4-TBS Vegetable Oil, (this cuts the 'frothing action' that takes place in the Pressure Cooker. If this action is not overcome, the Steam Spout could become clogged; so, don't forget or forfeit this Step).

Pressure Cook in the amount of time recommended by Mfg. directions. Alas, I have discovered that even tho those directions will tell you it matters not whether you Pressure Cook at Sea Level or High Altitude the time stays the same, it does not. You will need to Pressure Cook longer at a Higher Altitude. (As an aside, you will also need to add twice as much liquid called-for in Pressure Cooker recipes if living at a high-altitude).

(For these Great Northern Beans, my Mfg. directions say 5-7 minutes. I need to Pressure Cook these babies 10-minutes! So, don't be surprised if you have to do some experimentation with your Pressure Cooker).

Once the Beans are done cooking, put the whole Pressure Cooker in the sink and run cold water over the lid. This is called the 'Quick-Release' method. Once the Pressure Indicator drops down, open the lid away from you. The Beans and liquid will still be boiling hot.

At this point, pour in 1/2-CUP Baking Soda. You will instantly see major frothing. It will most likely spill over the top of the pot! Don't panic, it's supposed to do this. All that 'froth' is the 'gas' we expel after eating Beans. Well, the Baking Soda takes care of all that gas. So that now, when we eat the beans, there is no gas left. And I don't think I need to tell anyone what a pleasure that is!

Give the Beans a stir or two and once the frothing has started to subside, (a minute or two), pour the Beans into a strainer and rinse them well with hot water. Now the Beans are ready to use in whatever recipe you want.

I make all my Beans this way... Pinto Beans I always use to make Refried Beans. Imagine eating a ZERO-gas Bean burrito! If more people knew how to make 'Gasless Beans', I believe more people would eat Beans... a very healthy and satisfying thing to do.

Cooking Tips
Do not add salt or acidic ingredients, like vinegar, tomatoes or juice, this will slow the cooking process. Instead, add these ingredients when the beans are just tender.

Cooking times vary with the types of beans used but also may vary with their age.

Beans are done when they can be easily mashed between two fingers or with a fork. Always test a few beans in case they have not cooked evenly

Soaking, cooking, tips, and times provided by California Dry Bean Board.

Source

 * Beans, Great Northern Dry by the US Department of Agriculture, public domain government resource—original source of article
 * Vegetable of the Month: Beans by the US Centers of Disease Control, public domain government resource—source of additional content