On 2012-05-10, gtr > wrote:

> How long is done, usually, so I can get a good head start?

When I lived in the SFBA and was only about 100ft above sea level,
1-1/2 hrs was typical with 2 hrs about max for any bean. Now that I
live in CO at 8000ft, it's more like 3 to 4-1/2 hrs to cook to
doneness. Natch, YMMV. But, I'll cook that long rather than use my
pressure cooker which would have the beans done in under 1 hr, but
leave tough skins and mushy pulp.

My method is at a rolling boil for at least the first three quarters
of the total cooking time so the beans are coming up off the bottom in
a very large pot (5 qt min for 1 lb beans) and circulating around the
boiling pot water. Only drop down to a simmer in the last quarter of
the cook. It is this initial hot boil that renders the bean's skin so
soft and delicate. NEVER EVER pre-soak dried beans overnight or even
for a couple hrs. You will get a center bean pulp that cooks too
quickly and is soft and mushy while leaving the bean's skin tough and
chewy. Doing it my way will render tough bean skins like the lima's a
mere gossamer and pinto bean skins all but disappear. I personally
gar-own-tee it!

nb

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vi --the heart of evil!
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