Oh, cool! Baking soda! The only tip I've gotten so far was to parboil them for about 5-10 minutes the night before, turn the heat off, leave them there to soak overnight, rinse and renew the water, then cook them for about an hour. Does that sound right? Sorry, I've spent the first 50 years of my life living on fast food and take-out. Can't do canned beans either, cuz they're too salty for me. But too broke to buy a slow cooker or a cast iron/ceramic pot. Have to figure it out with just a regular old stainless steel pot and a hotplate...Ghetto Gourmet, if you will...Are you soaking the dry beans overnight with a touch of baking soda? Fixes the, er, methane situation and the beans do cook faster. Then cook them in a crockpot or on the stove.



tired yet trying to read all the posts ..see everyones been busy on here.
.... she must be running a donut shop by now 
