C-Beeby wrote:
<...>
> Rose Elliot (all hail!) says that these can be cooked in a slow cooker, but
> must be rapidly boiled (presumably after being soaked) for at least 10
> minutes before you transfer them to your slow cooker.

I never soak or boil beans before putting them in a slow cooker. It's the most
effortless method around.

> The About.com home cooking site on the other hand says: just sling dried
> beans plus water in your slow cooker on low and leave overnight.

Or, if you'll be around to mind the water level, cook them on high in about 3-4
hours. One of the dried bean marketing association websites (I can't recall
which one, and the one I *thought* it was is no longer available) had a page on
slow cooking which pointed out that starting out with cold water while slow
cooking mimics the soaking process anyway because the gradual rise in
temperature accomplishes the same thing. Soaking or boiling beforehand does seem
like redundancy.

> Clearly the second method is the easier but is it safe? I mostly cook butter
> beans, haricot beans and the like.

Over my lifetime, I've had slow cooked beans that have never been boiled or
soaked before cooking. I've also had beans that went into a pressure cooker
without any soaking or pre-boiling. I have lived to tell about it. So will you.