Cooking

Q: What is a good crock pot/ slowcooker recipe for 15 Bean Soup?

A: Try this!

CROCK-POT HamBeens® 15 BEAN SOUP®
 
A convenient way to prepare great soup!
 
          1  pkg Hurst’s® HamBeens® 15 Bean Soup®
 
          8  cups water, boiling
 
          1  lg. onion, chopped
 
          1  can tomatoes (15 oz.)
 
          OPTIONAL:
 
          1 lb. sausage or ham
 
          1 clove garlic, minced
 
          1 tsp red pepper or chili powder
 
Sort and wash beans, then soak them overnight or at least 4 hours. (Soaking not required, but you will need to increase cooking time)
Drain, rinse, and place in a Crock-Pot with 8 cups of boiling water, onions, meat, garlic and red pepper or chili powder. (Not tomato yet!)
 
Set Crock-Pot on low and cook for eight hours, or until beans are tender, but not falling apart.
 
After the beans are tender, stir in the can of tomatoes and our Ham Flavor packet, salt to taste and serve! Please keep in mind that every time the lid is opened, 20 minutes should be added to your cooking time.
 

Q:     Can 15 bean soup be frozen?
A:     Absolutely.  This is a product that freezes and keeps very well.  Tupperware or similar will work great but what my wife does is fill freezer quality zip-loc bags, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them.  She then takes them off the cookies sheet and can stack 2-person servings in the freezer saving some space to boot. It is best to use the leftovers within 6 months. THANKS!

Q:     Can I Use Bacon or Salt Pork in your 15 bean soup as opposed to Ham or Smoked Sausage?
A:     Definitely! The options are endless. Let us know how it turns out.

Q:     I live in an elevation of more than 3,000 feet. With the added condition of low humidity, following the suggested cooking times seemed the wrong thing to do. the beans were still very hard even after 3 hours and the broth was still mostly very watery. I found myself cooking the beans for more like 5 or 6 hours and having to add water as it evaporated almost completely away. I was cooking uncovered as the recipe suggested. How should I handle cooking times under these conditions?
A:     Because of the elevation, the beans will take longer to cook. I couldn't tell you how much longer though. Cooking while covered will keep more moisture in the pot as the beans cook. It is a matter of trial and error in order to get the right cooking time figured out.

Q:     I made your 15 bean soup recipe and it is thick, not soup like. Is this the texture that it's supposed to be?
A:     Our recipe results in a more "hearty" or thick soup. If you prefer more liquid, feel free to add a little more water. You may also wish to cover your soup with a lid when you reach desired thickness. Cooking without the lid (as recommended) helps to thicken the soup.

Q:     Is it necessary to soak the lentils prior to cooking your Confetti Lentil Soupreme™?
A:     The lentil is small and the cooking time is sufficient in order to re-hydrate them, and it is not necessary to soak them prior to cooking. But don't forget to sort through the contents and rinse before cooking!

Q:     The recipe on the package calls for sausage, what kind do you recommend?
A:     The type of sausage that you use in the recipe is entirely up to you. Some people use a pound of "hot" bulk sausage to give it that little extra kick. Others use the smoked sausage links that come in a long rope. Slice it and brown it with the onion and garlic for added flavor.

Q:     What can be done to avoid the foaming while cooking beans?
A:     Adding 1 tablespoon of butter or salad oil for each cup of beans will help keep down the foam. You do not need to skim the foam off as it will cook its way into the beans.

Q:     Why do some of your recipes suggest adding juice of 1 lemon?
A:     People have asked in the past if we add the lemon to reduce the negative side effects (eliminate or reduce gas), but that is not the case. We add the lemon simply to enhance the flavor of the broth and to make the flavor more complex. Please let us know if you have other questions.

Q:     Why do you suggest adding flavor packet so near completion (1 to 2 minutes) of cooking time? Are Salt and Pepper included in instruction # 4? One hears throughout one's life that flavors (in soups and sauces) develop over time, infering that the longer the flavors linger together, the better the flavors will coalesce.
A:     We recommend waiting until the beans are completely tender before adding acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, and also salt. Our seasoning packet includes salt. If you add these ingredients before the beans are soft, it will stop the rehydration process and thus will result in firm/ hard beans. We also recommend that you taste test your soup before adding salt or pepper at the end, because many find that they do not need to add additional seasonings with our ham flavoring packet. Please send an e-mail to info@nkhurst.com if you have further questions on this issue.