Crock pot. I do soak them the night before. Then just dump them in, cover with water (6 cups maybe?), and a couple of bay leaves and a small dice red or green pepper. Cook for 8 hours+ on low. Then add diced smoked chiken sausage or cut up canadian bacon for some meaty taste without a lot of fat.

Slow cooker overnight: http://simplycooking.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/how-to-cook-dried-beans-in-the-slow-cooker/

I don't have a pressure cooker (will get one!) and could never get beans to cook all the way through in my crock pot - no idea why. This is what I do. Rinse 4-6 cups of dried beans, cover with 4 inches of water, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Turn off and leave on the stove for awhile (2-3 hours) then turn back on and simmer for 45 minutes. Perfect every time and the extras I freeze in dinner size portions. Also, be sure to buy dry beans from a store that has high turnover - old beans don't cook well.

Looks like pressure cooker was suggested. That also gets my vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can also use a pressure cooker - takes about 15 minutes max. I do soak the bean (any kind - black, pinto, kidney, small red, garbanzo) overnight and then put them in the pressure cooker for about 6 whistles.

these things terrify me -- they seem dangerous!

+1 for pressure cooker. In India, where I'm from, no household is without one. Makes cooking rice, beans etc a snap.
They are not dangerous, but yes, can cause harm if not used properly. It isn't rocket science though. You have to make sure the seal is tight, and that there's enough water in the bottom to create steam. And never open until safe to do so - different models have different indicators that the pressure inside is down to normal.

Another Indian here. Pressure cooker is the way to go. I have 4 of them!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can also use a pressure cooker - takes about 15 minutes max. I do soak the bean (any kind - black, pinto, kidney, small red, garbanzo) overnight and then put them in the pressure cooker for about 6 whistles.

these things terrify me -- they seem dangerous!

+1 for pressure cooker. In India, where I'm from, no household is without one. Makes cooking rice, beans etc a snap.
They are not dangerous, but yes, can cause harm if not used properly. It isn't rocket science though. You have to make sure the seal is tight, and that there's enough water in the bottom to create steam. And never open until safe to do so - different models have different indicators that the pressure inside is down to normal.

Anonymous wrote:You can also use a pressure cooker - takes about 15 minutes max. I do soak the bean (any kind - black, pinto, kidney, small red, garbanzo) overnight and then put them in the pressure cooker for about 6 whistles.

these things terrify me -- they seem dangerous!

You can also use a pressure cooker - takes about 15 minutes max. I do soak the bean (any kind - black, pinto, kidney, small red, garbanzo) overnight and then put them in the pressure cooker for about 6 whistles.

Even Julia Child made beans in the crockpot! Her Boston bean recipe is in The Way to Cook or all over the Internet. With all due respect to Julia, I find mine come put better of soaked overnight.

Anonymous wrote:Don't need to soak or cook forever on a crockpot. For 1lb rinsed and picked beans, add 7 cups water and 2 tbs baking soda. Bring to boil, skim surface, cover and reduce to low boil and cook for 1.5 hours. Can double this to have leftovers.

That's interesting - what does the baking soda do?