Q&A for How to Cook Pinto Beans

Soak the beans as you normally would and then cook them for 25 minutes on high pressure. If you have pressure-release settings, use the "quick release" setting.

You can cook unsoaked pinto beans in 2 hours if you bake them in the oven. Rinse the dried beans and place them in an oven-safe pot, then cover them with water 2 inches (5 cm) deep and add a little salt. Put a lid on the pot and bake the beans for 2 hours at 375° F (190.6° C). If the beans aren’t tender and creamy after 2 hours, try cooking them for another 15-30 minutes and checking again.

Canned beans are already cooked, and just need to be heated and seasoned to taste. You can either warm them up in a saucepan on the stove or zap them in the microwave for a couple minutes to heat them up. Experiment with adding different flavorings, such as broth, butter, bacon, onions, or spices (such as salt, pepper, or garlic powder). Adding a little brown sugar can also help bring out their flavor.

Soak the beans as you normally would, then boil them on the stove with olive oil, salt pork rind, chopped onion, chile peppers, garlic, and cumin seed. You can also make refried beans by frying up pre-cooked beans with the same ingredients on a skillet, then mashing the beans and blending them in a food processor.

Yes, as long as they are not fried. Pinto beans can help balance out your blood sugar levels while giving you slow-burning energy.

Yes, Crock Pot is a brand name, a Crock Pot is a slow cooker.

Combine cornstarch and cold water, then add it to the soup until it thickens or you can mash some of the beans to thicken the soup.

Any food steaming hot put into the fridge right away can accelerate how quickly it will perish. As a general rule, let hot food cool down to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

Soak them overnight in the crock pot. In the morning, cover with water and cook on high all day. Some people say drain the soaking water; I do not do that, as I prefer the thicker "soup". I also add slivers of country ham to mine prior to cooking for extremely good seasoning.

Adding salt to the water toughens the skin. This is why you shouldn't salt the beans until they're finished cooking.