bean stock
February 8, 2012
Hardly a recipe, but essential for good food, deep flavours, and economies in the kitchen. When you are cooking beans, which I hope you do once in awhile, add a few bay leaves, some garlic cloves, maybe a carrot and a stalk of celery. When your beans are done, take out the accoutrements (bay leaves, garlic, carrot etc.) and discard. Then, when you drain the beans, don’t let that gorgeous bean stock get wasted down the kitchen sink! Save it. It’s luscious, and full of flavour, and works wonders in blackened rice, or moroccan tagine, or other bean-friendly dishes. Drain the beans off into a big bowl. Let the stock cool down, and then freeze it in different sized containers to use at your leisure. You won’t be sorry you took the extra 5 minutes to do so. Promise.
P.S. I learned from Cook’s Illustrated the other day that if you add a piece of kombu (seaweed) to your beans while cooking, it makes the beans more tender and flavourful. I think they’re right! Try it out.
v:gourmet 
February 8, 2012 at 2:20 pm
This is a really good idea, I can’t believe it’s not in every cook book.
February 8, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Glenn,
Couldn’t agree more. It will be in my cookbook 🙂
Ruth
February 9, 2012 at 1:03 am
I do love and use the broth from cooking beans. But do you freeze your beans without the liquid? How do you reheat them?
February 9, 2012 at 1:29 am
I do freeze my beans without the liquid. To reheat them, I usually take them out of the freezer well before I need them and let them thaw on their own. I then just add them to a stew, or soup, or saute them in a little oil with garlic and other goodies. Seems to work pretty well. The other thing I didn’t mention which I should (and will) is if you add a piece of kombu (seaweed) to the water while you’re cooking your beans, it makes the beans more tender and flavourful. I learned that from Cook’s Illustrated which is chock-a-block full of amazing facts, figures, and information. Try it out.
February 9, 2012 at 4:02 am
Interesting! I will have to try draining my beans before freezing them, which would make it faster to be able to toss them into a salad or other recipe where I don’t want the liquid. Thanks for the tips!