How to Cook Pinto Beans and Their Nutritional Value.

Dried, Uncooked Pinto beans.

Pinto beans are members of the legume family and belong to a group of beans known as the common bean. They have a mottled appearance with darkish red/brown speckles on a lighter brown flesh. Because of their somewhat unusual and mottled appearance, the term pinto was coined to describe the bean and literally means painted or spotted in Spanish.  Nevertheless, after the dried beans have been cooked they lose their mottled appearance and become pinkish in colour.

In South America the pinto bean is referred to as 'poroto fruitilla' which translated means the strawberry bean. There are several varieties of the pinto bean which include: Burke, Maverick, Othello and Sierra. Young pods, however, may also be harvested and are know as green beans.

Pinto beans are highly nutritious and historically have been used to substitute meat when it is in short supply. Many dishes which originated in South America use this bean as a main ingredient. Pintos are also very inexpensive and the most widely used bean in America.

Nutritional value of the Pinto bean.
The chart below provides nutritional values for 8 grams or half a cup of dried beans. As you can see, pinto beans are a great source of dietary fibre and protein. In addition, the beans contain Iron, vitamin C,E,K and vitamin B6. They also contain a range of minerals and are ideal for those who have embarked on a low sodium, low cholesterol and low fat diet, as they do not contain any.

Pinto beans are also gluten free, however, those individuals who are on a gluten free diet should be extra careful if buying canned or pre-cooked beans, as they may have been seasoned with ingredients which do contain gluten. Should you decide that you wish to use canned pinto beans and your diet is normally gluten free, please read the labels carefully.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 85
Calories 120	Calories from Fat 45
	% Daily Value *
Fat 5 g	8%
Saturated fat 0 g
Unsaturated fat 0 g
Carbohydrates 22 g	7%
Sugar 0 g
Fiber 8 g	32%
Protein 8 g	16%
Cholesterol 0 mg
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

How to Cook Pinto Beans.

Remember that once the beans have been cooked they will more than double in size. Allow around half a cup of dried beans per person when cooking. Before cooking pinto beans you will need to sort them to ensure that there are no rocks or debris amongst the beans. Once you have removed any particles or rocks, put the beans in a colander and rinse them under the faucet. Move them around with your hands to ensure that all the beans have been rinsed well. Drain and place the beans into a large pan and cover with water allowing at least two inches of water above the beans, this is important because as the beans soak they will absorb the water. 

The pintos need to be soaked overnight or for around twelve hours. Having said that, if you change the soaking water once or twice, you will be less likely to suffer from flatulence after eating the beans because changing the soaking water helps break down the complex sugars which can cause gas.

When you have soaked the beans rinse them in a colander again and put them back into a large pan. Cover with water allowing two to three inches of water above the beans and then place on the hob and bring them to the boil. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer the beans for approximately four hours, keep checking the beans, however, as you may need to add more water if necessary. To check that the beans are cooked, use the back of a fork and press one of the beans, if it crushes and is nice and tender, they are ready. Add the pintos to your favourite recipes.

How to Cook Pinto Beans in a Crock Pot.

If You have a crock pot you don't have to soak the beans as directed above. Simply rinse and drain the beans in the usual way and add to the crock pot. Cook for approximately seven hours and 
then add them to your favourite recipes.