•Canned beans may be added directly to any recipe, but dried beans, especially red kidney beans, should be soaked in water (if desired) and boiled first. After covering and boiling in 3 times their volume of unsalted water, add beans to recipe and discard water. Beans must be softened completely before they are combined with sugary and/or acid foods, as these have a hardening effect on beans. In this case, beans should be allowed to simmer until tender (about 1 ½ hours) after boiling.
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