Pinto beans are a variety of legumes from the edible bean family. They have a brown skin with dark brown spots, and their name literally means "painted bean" in Spanish. They are popular for refried beans, chili, and side dishes and fillings. Beans are a large part of the diet in many countries due to their high protein and vitamin and mineral content. Beans are usually boiled to make them safe for human consumption, however, this may remove a lot of nutrients. There are methods for cooking pinto beans without sacrificing nutrition, though.
Step 1
Soak the beans overnight or for at least six hours before cooking. Soaking beans allows water to penetrate the beans, thereby lessening their cooking time significantly. Shorter cooking times means all the nutrients won't get boiled out due to hours of cooking. Beans should be soaked in water three times their amount. For example, if cooking 2 cups of beans, soak them in 6 cups of water. Rinse the beans thoroughly before soaking them to remove dirt and stones.
Step 2
Use the soaking water to cook the beans. Water that has been used to soak the beans contains nutrients that have seeped out. Instead of throwing this water away, use it to boil the beans as the nutrients will be absorbed back into the beans.
Step 3
Add salt at the end of cooking. Salt lengthens cooking time due to its ability to draw out water. This causes nutrients and vitamins to be boiled out of the beans.
Step 4
Use a pressure cooker to cook the beans. Pressure cookers use a tight sealing lid and a little water to produce heat and steam, which are locked in and kept at a constant temperature, thus cooking the contents in a fraction of the time and preserving nutrients.
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