Q&A for How to Cook Red Kidney Beans

Well, if you season them with your preferred seasoning or the suggestions above, it should work out great. That said, before you even get to the seasoning, I recommend sauteing onions, celeries, and bell peppers. Only then you should add the beans, the seasoning and the water.

If red kidney beans are not cooked enough, they can cause something called "red kidney bean poisoning", which can bring about several hours of stomach pain, nausea and cramping. To avoid this, ensure that the beans have been cooked sufficiently (see steps above) and do not eat undercooked kidney beans.

Pre-soaking beans usually helps in ridding them of any bitter or metallic taste. Toss the soaking liquid and use fresh when you're ready to cook. Also, if you're using seasonings, even salt, add them towards the end of cooking and not in the beginning. This may seem counter-intuitive, but seasonings can tighten the skin on the beans, which won't get soft until they've been cooking awhile. It's also possible that your beans are just old. Even dry beans have a shelf life, after which they may not taste as good. Lastly, perhaps using the crockpot isn't the best idea. Beans are usually cooked at a simmer (about 195 degrees F), and most crockpots don't get above 175.

No, you can't. Beans need to simmer for about 2 hours. It's going to be hard to steam for that long if you have to keep opening the pot to add more water as it dissipates.

Of course they can. In fact, if your beans are part of a seasoned meal, such as a casserole, reheating them after a day or two in the fridge will probably make them taste better. Beans need time to soften, and they need time to allow flavors to meld into them. A bean casserole, left overnight in the fridge, tastes even better than when it first comes out of the oven because of that.