Emergency Dinner Help Needed

[doc]

Help!!

I am making chili in my crock pot. I followed the recipe exactly. Started with dried beans which soaked overnight. Now I am 7 hours into cooking in the crock pot and the beans are still crunchy.

What should I do? Dinner is in 2 hours. Is it hopeless? Is it time for take-out?

[Pax]

Help!!

I am making chili in my crock pot. I followed the recipe exactly. Started with dried beans which soaked overnight. Now I am 7 hours into cooking in the crock pot and the beans are still crunchy.

What should I do? Dinner is in 2 hours. Is it hopeless? Is it time for take-out?

I not sure if you can boil the chili long enough to soften the beans without screwing of the taste of the rest of the ingredients but it might be worth a go...transfer it all to a stock pot and get a good low boil going, that might work.

Next time you do the overnight soak method, bring the bean to a boil first for 3-5 minutes then shut them off and leave them covered overnight, they'll cook up fine in a crock pot the next day.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

They say don't add salt to dried beans until they are finished cooking or else the skins will stay tough. Not sure if you did that or not.
Did you keep opening the pot to fuss with or stir the chili during the 7 hours?- they say that every time you open the pot you lose about 20 minutes worth of cooking time.
Can you turn the crockpot on high and add a bit more water and cook another 2 hours?- or are you put of time? :(

[doc]

I didn't open the crock pot until the 7 hour mark. Then panic! I turned it up to high and I've got my fingers crossed.

Next time I use dried beans I'll boil and then soak. I'll let you know what happens but I just peeked again and the beans are softening. Whew!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

QUIT PEEKING!!!! 20 minute penalty per peek!!! :eek:

[KayTee]

I stopped trying to cook beans in the crock pot b/c it just takes so long for them to get soft enough to eat. Now when I fix chili or anything else involving beans in the crockpot, I either cook them separately first or use canned.

So did your chili turn out OK?