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In terms of flavor, texture and nutrition, dried beans are always preferable to the canned variety. However, the problem most people have with dried beans is that they need to be soaked overnight (or at least 12 hours). This is a problem for those times you are in a hurry or haven't planned ahead. That's when a quick soak comes in handy.
So how do you do it?
The process of how to quick soak dried beans is similar to an overnight soak in that you'll still have to pick and sort the beans to remove any stones or debris and rinse them to get rid of dust. Instead of leaving them in a bowl filled with water on your countertop, you'll place them a pot and cover them with at least three inches of water. The beans are brought to a boil then the heat is turned off. The pot is then covered and left untouched for an hour.
With this method you'll notice the beans appear larger in size and deeper in color, just as they would with traditional soaking. At this point you can drain the beans and proceed to cook them as usual with herbs and aromatics like onions and garlic. Quick soaking is great in a pinch but consider an overnight soak if you are worried about minimizing gas.
For further tips on how to quick soak dried beans perfectly, check out this video from Everyday Food featuring "Kitchen Conundrum" master Thomas Joseph:
