How to Freeze Beans and avoid BPA
Canned products are usually lined with BPA-a product known to cause cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, obesity, and insulin resistance, which can lead to Type II diabetes. I have decided to quit buying anything that comes in a can. This means no more canned beans.
Instead, I have fun with dried beans. I set aside a few hours in a day and call it my “Bean-Fest”. I put on Salsa music, grab a spicy apron and get to work.
Every burner and large pot that I have on hand is utilized, cooking legumes of every shape and size.
I follow the basic instructions in my cookbook on how to cook beans, but I cut out the salt and cut down the cooking time by 33%. Meaning, if it tells me to cook the beans for 1 1/2 hours-I only cook them for an hour, or just until they can be forcefully squished with a fork. You want the beans to be a little tough.
After draining the beans, I divide them in half, leaving half in the pot and the other half in the lid, allowing them to cool down. I also stir the beans from time to time to release the captured heat.
You could transfer them to another dish to cool faster, but since I don’t want to wash another dish-I opt for the above method.
Once the beans are cool, I measure out 2 or 3 cup increments into ziplock bags, depending upon how I use the beans and toss them in the freezer.
I measure 3 cups for my garbanzos in order to be ready to make my Hummus Among Us Recipe.
I measure out 2 cups for my red and black beans for salads or to accompany rice meals.
In order to use the beans, I allow them to thaw in the refrigerator for a good day before they are needed.
Voila! Ready-at-the-helm beans without an infestation of BPA. Kind of a win-win for very little work.
Linking up here, along with other parties:
Between Naps on the Front Porch
this is a great idea. I am concerned about BPA as well.
I was wondering if there is BPA in the plastic baggies?? just a thought?
Judee-
I’m glad you asked this question. I didn’t even think about including this information within my post. There is no BPA in Ziploc Baggies! Hurray!!! Here’s a link to some information from 3rd parties that have investigated this same concern-the FDA, University of Missouri, etc.
http://www.bag-e-wash.com/leaching.html
Have a great weekend!
Awesome tip! We love beans and this will come in so handy!
Hey! Rebekah Very helpful information – what do you use as a substitute for tomato products? I seem to always be emptying a can, or cans [chili], of tomatoes into “what’s for dinner?”. Thanks again for the great post!
Stay cool!:)
In addition to “Bean-Fest”, I also have “Tomato-Day”. I know what you’re thinking-How did she come up with those creative names? I don’t know, it just comes to me.
I chop up, seed and stew a bunch of tomatoes and then freeze/can them. I also make & freeze/can tomato paste during this time by pressing stewed & pureed tomatoes through a sieve. From these two things, I can pretty much concoct anything that I might need! Maybe I should do a post on this, too?
I gotta be honest, I had no idea that canned foods have BPA in them!!! We don’t eat many canned foods, I cook mainly completely from scratch, but I do usually used canned beans. Thanks for passing along the information and the great tips!! This is a great $$ saver too!
Thanks
Ashley
I do this all the time…so easy. I put no salt at all
I have never heard of BPA or that it causes cancer. I’ll look into this a bit further thanks for the tip. Seen you at ladybug blessings.
Maria Crafty Chic
I found your blog on Sugar Bee Crafts. What an excellent idea! I guy Eden brand canned beans sometimes, they are BPA free but I often freeze cooked pinto beans (best beans EVER! recipe on my blog…) I freeze in glass containers. I’d like to try this…I do use some plastic bags…the glass containers take up so much space in the freezer.
I’ve never thought about this before, definitely a good idea. I hope you’ll stop by and add this and any other posts you’re proud of to my Wednesday What We Wore, Read, and Made Link party
marissa
http://raegunwear.blogspot.com
I never knew there was BPA in canned foods! Thanks for sharing this – great idea to freeze portions of the beans!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Hey! I’m over from Tip Junkie and I’m so anti-BPA! That stuff is nasty and scary. Have you read Slow Death by Rubber Duckie?! It was SO informative and I would recommend it to you. I just discovered me love of pressure canning dried beans! I used to freeze them but now love pressure canning even more. Have you tried it yet?!
What a clever way to prepare beans for future use. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner. Never knew about the BPA in cans – no wonder all of these diseases are increasing.
Really delicious looking! Thank you for linking it up at our party at http://www.FineCraftGuild.com/party/
BTW it would be really nice if you would link back to the party from within your article. Thank you so much doing so in advance.
Looking forward to your contributions again tomorrow, when a new party will open.
Have a creative day,
~ Rose
Sorry about that Rose! I’ll make sure to add you to the list. It’s hard to keep up with everyone. I have a whole page for the parties I link up to so that others can find new parties (https://www.potholesandpantyhose.com/about-me/parties-i-link-to/), but I should have added you at the bottom, too!
Oh btw. did you ever hear of sprouting your beans in the fridge? Another really healthy way to have your lentils etc.
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I do a lot of canning, drying, freezing too. I thought products marked BPA-free meant they were safe, but non-BPA plastics (even soy-based plastics) also leach estrogen-mimicking toxins with all the same horrible health risks. http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2011/05/plastic-just-got-more-sinister/ Now I stick to glass as much as possible. Not easy!
Thanks for the link, Laura. I can’t wait to check this out. It’s amazing what companies can get by with until they are called out, isn’t it?
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Hi Rebekah, It is SOOOO awesome that you are taking on natural living and sharing it. Thank you!! I am planning to have a “Soap and Suds Day” soon and make all of your cleaning products.
As for your beans – do you soak them before cooking? Beans are definitely best soaked first – overnight or for 6-10 hours, some people even go as long as 24, but you don’t want them to ferment. There are indigestible elements in the beans, as well as toxins, and soaking them releases these into the water. Also cuts down on cooking time. And then you have far more digestible and nutritional beans to freeze and use anytime! Just google soaking beans – the suggested amount of time is different for diff. beans.
And beware of kidney beans – they have a particular toxin that make it doubly important to soak!
I usually soak mine overnight. Although rather handsome and kind, hubby needs beans to be soaked-if you know what I mean….Somedays, my scentsy just can’t keep up. 🙂
I just spent 6 months in Mexico and we ate a lot of beans. The bags of beans they sell there with directions do not have soaking as a step. I ‘gambled’ and tried it and surprise, surprise they cooked just fine with out pre-soaking.
When you pre-soak you dump out a lot of nutrition in that soak water. So, try it, rinse like you normally would before soaking and put on to simmer. 🙂
Diana-
Great tip! Thank you!
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