I make most of my beans from scratch. This is partly because they just taste better that way, partly because it saves us all kinds of money, and majorly because I want to avoid BPA by all means necessary, and many bean cans are coated with the stuff. Once you get used to making them from scratch, it becomes hard to imagine eating them any other way. It takes a bit of planning, but apart from that, it is really simple and easy to do.

Soak about two to three cups of beans overnight (or as many as you like) or during the day while you’re at work. Make sure to add a lot of water as they will double, or more, in volume. Discard water and rinse beans well. Add soaked beans to a pot with water reaching a couple inches above the beans. For most beans, such as black, kidney, and pinto, I add half an onion, chopped or just cut in big chunks, and about a tablespoon or two of olive oil (I don’t do any of this for chickpeas).  If you can get some fresh epazote (Mexican oregano), add some of that too (I don’t do this either for chickpeas), or you can also add a strip of kombu. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium/low and simmer until tender, about an hour to an hour and a half, or a bit more for chickpeas. Towards the end of cooking add salt, 1/2 tsp at a time to taste.