Every time I try to make Swedish beans for Christmas Eve they come out hard even after soaking, simmering for hours - do you know why? I was wondering if it was the vinegar. Yesterday I added corn syrup and vinegar to a can of kidney beans because I did not have any more of the homemade - they were delicious at first, but hard as a rock this morning - any ideas? Thanks, Gail

Gail, I have the same problem with cooking beans through. It is said that minerals in the water will interfere with bean softening. That would be hard water or salt. Another source says that vinegar, also, will result in tougher beans. So the best bet is to get them almost done before you add the salt, and all the way done before you add the vinegar.

I just wanted to add: I cooked the beans in filtered water (we have hard water here) for about 4 hours in a slow cooker (on high) before I threw in the salt, cinnamon and sugar. I then cooked them for another couple of hours before I added the vinegar and molasses (instead of dark corn syrup). I also added some ham. This is basically a really good recipe, but the age of the beans can affect how long you need to cook them. I also used a LOT of water, and for the last hour cooked them in an enameled cast iron pot with the lid ajar to evaporate the excess, so the end result was a lot of creamy sauce, like I remember from my grandma's beans. She used pink beans, which you can only get in California as far as I know. Pinto beans are really a good substitute, and a LOT cheaper than real Swedish beans.

This is basically our family's recipe, although we never used cinnamon and always added butter toward the end. The beans should be fairly tender before adding the vinegar as it will harden the skins. It's OK to add salt early on, but you might want to use a mineral-free water throughout the preparation. Plan to cook for several hours! The best bruna bonor, in my opinion, have a thickened sauce that comes from long cooking (the butter helps, too).