Instructions for cleaning, soaking, inspecting for insects, and cooking dried beans, peas and legumes in the microwave, crockpot, pressure cooker and pot. Beans and legumes are among the healthiest foods you can eat. A vegetable protein, they contain fewer pesticides than animal products. They’re low in fat, and are versatile enough to absorb flavor from a wide variety of flavors and spices. With so many warnings about chemicals in canned foods, now might be the time to make the switch to home-cooked beans.Dried beans are usually very cheap, although they take a while to cook so consider energy usage when making price comparisons. Make a large quantity and freeze to make the effort worthwhile. I’ll give a few methods.

The following instructions apply to kidney beans, chickpeas, dried peas, black-eyed peas, white (navy) beans, black beans, pinto beans, lima beans, fava beans, and lentils.