Black Beans...how I cook and use them...

Here is my black bean method.
I make mashed black beans all of the time and they are a family favorite. To cook dry black beans, I follow the quick soak method on the back of the bag. I thoroughly wash in a fine mesh strainer, sort out ugly or broken ones and put the rest in a pot. Add about 6 cups of water per pound and get it to a good rolling boil. (If you buy your beans in bulk, a pound is approximately 2 cups of dry beans) Boil for a couple minutes and then remove from heat and let soak at least an hour...sometimes I let it go more, it doesn't matter. Then I rinse the beans and the pan and pour them back in with six more cups of water per pound of beans. Simmer for 2 hours with the lid off. (The bag says to leave the lid on, tilted, but I always get lots of foam, and tons of overflow when I do that so I just leave it off and add water periodically if needed. You only need to make sure the beans are covered. The bag says to cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but I always cook longer. I cook them till they are a creamy texture inside. If you want to like homemade beans this is very important. They may seem done, but you have to make sure it basically smashes in your mouth, not breaks into pieces.

I often use my two biggest pots and spend one whole day making as many pounds as I can fit in them. Then when they are cooked, I let them cool in the water and then bag and freeze them for future use. I use my easy read liquid measuring cup from pampered chef to measure the amounts. They have an elongated front so it's easier to pour into the bag without a mess. I freeze them in two cup increments so that I can use them just like a can in recipes. (Just an fyi, a pound of beans makes about 3, maybe 4 bags) The one important thing if you don't want them to get freezer burn is just to make sure the beans are covered in your cooking water. You don't want beans sticking out over the top or they could get freezer burn more easily. By the way, I don't add any salt yet. If you add salt when cooking, they never reach the right texture.   One other thing, I don't like them as well when I have mashed before freezing, they dry out on the edges and don't look very good.  I don't even use freezer bags, I just use Ziplock sandwich bags and I have never had a problem with them.

So now that they are cooked, you can use them however you want. If I want to mash them, I just leave them in the water, chop an onion (I usually use a whole onion if I mash a whole pound, I like a lot of onion), add it to the water, and keep simmering them and mashing with a potato masher (you need one that has smaller holes. I use the pampered chef one... And No, I don't sell it, I just like their products!) You cook them and mash them till they become the right texture or consistency. (this takes a while, at first I just let them boil to cook the onions and reduce the water, then I start mashing.) Make sure you add salt while you are cooking them, they won't taste good without some salt. I often just use salt and the onions for flavor. But when we are eating bean burritos more often and I want a little change, I sometimes add a shake or two of cumin or taco seasoning while I am simmering/mashing the beans.

Another thing I like to do in tacos or taco salad, is leave the beans whole. I just defrost a bag in a small pan and simmer with a little taco seasoning for a few minutes, till the water seems to thicken a bit.  I leave it in the spicy water and use a slotted spoon to serve. They are so good this way!