Homemade Item: BLACK BEANS

Black beans are used in so many tasty recipes. Preparing your own can save you a lot of money in the long run and gives you the satisfaction of knowing you cooked them yourself.

To start, buy yourself a bag of dry black beans. Take it from my experience that it is worth it to spend a little more and not get the cheap brand (like I have pictured below...). The last time I made them, I used a more expensive brand. This time I opted for cheap, which is not unusual for me and often works just as well. That is not the case here, the more expensive beans were WAY better quality. Spend the extra dollar or so, I promise it will be worth it. 

I cooked 2 lbs of beans. This gave me plenty to store and use later and didn't overfill my biggest pot, although it did come close. 

To start off, put your beans in a big pot. Add 6-8 cups of water per pound. Because I used 2 lbs, I added 14 cups of water. 

Take it from my experience, you will want to use a black or metal spoon to stir your beans. Don't use a wooden one or it will permanently be died a nice shade of purple. 

Bring your pot full of beans to a rapid boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit in the water for 1 hour. 

After letting the beans soak for an hour, drain all the water from your black beans.

Then, put them back in your pot, fill it back up with water, and turn the heat back on.

Cover your pot, allowing it to breathe a little, and simmer for 2 hours. 

Drain again.

At this point, your beans are ready to eat or freeze. I divided mine into servings based on cans, because that is generally what recipes call for. 1 can = 1 1/2 cups cooked beans. 

I was able to get 7 "cans" worth out of the 2 lbs I cooked. 

I then put them all in a big, dated, freezer bag and put them in my freezer for later use. 

According to Still Tasty, black beans prepared at home are good for 5-7 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer. 

To use, you can let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Or, if you are like me and don't take them out of the freezer until just before you need them, put them in a strainer and run water over them to thaw them quickly.