Recipe: How to cook garbanzo beans (chick-peas) for Carol, TN

Hi Carol:-) The directions for cooking garbanzo beans from the Williams-Sonoma cookbook, simply titled Beans and Rice says to:

Pick over and discard any damaged beans or stones. Rinse the beans. Place in a bowl, and add plenty of water to cover and soak for about 3 hours.

Drain the beans and place in a saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until tender, 45-60 minutes.

Beans that are old, which it sounds like yours probably are, just don't soften and cook as they should. My advice would be to start over with a new package of garbanzo beans. If you don't have time to do that, I would use canned garbanzo beans. Drain and rinse them and continue with your recipe. Of course, you should shorten any cooking time since the canned beans are essentially already cooked.

Good luck, Carol.