Alternative Cooking Methods include a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Slow cooking for the soup requires most of a day, depending on the heat level on your cooker. Follow all of the instructions, including the sort, soak, and then put your beans and herbs into the slow cooker with the recommended water and olive oil. Meat can be added as well at this stage. Don’t add the other ingredients called for or included until the beans are cooked. These can be added in the last hour or two of cooking.
Pressure cookers are miracle workers when it comes to cooking anything, especially dry beans. They not only save significant amounts of time, but energy as well. I highly recommend this method of preparing the soup if you have limited time. Again, follow all of the instructions, including the sort, soak, and then put your beans and herbs and olive oil into the pressure cooker. Follow your pressure cooker’s instructions for cooking dry beans. The beans included in our soups will typically cook in 6-10 minutes.
The basic times for cooking our 7 soups after the cooker has reached full pressure on the high pressure setting is as follows:.
Life's Good Lentil 6 minutes (add all ingredients except salt before cooking)
Snowy Mountain Chili 8 minutes (add all ingredients except salt and tomatoes before cooking)
Kalispell Calico 7 minutes (add all ingredients except salt before cooking)
Glacier Park Pink 8 minutes (add all ingredients except salt, tomatoes, and pasta before cooking)
Yellowstone 7 minutes (add all ingredients except salt before cooking)
Three Bears Black Bean 7 minutes (add all ingredients except carrot, orzo, salt, and tomatoes before cooking)
Missoula Minestrone 8 minutes ( add all ingredients except salt, pasta, veggies, and tomatoes before cooking)
If you choose to add meat, that may effect the amount of time in the pressure cooker. Your cooker’s instruction book and experience will be the best source for these timings. After cooking the appropriate amount of time, turn the burner off and allow the pressure to drop naturally. Don’t add the other ingredients called for or included until the beans are cooked. These can be added after the pressure is released and the soup simmered another 15-20 minutes until they are done.