Kidney beans are beans that when dried have a shape suggested of a kidney, though the shape disappears when cooked.
They are about 2 cm (½ inch) long.
They come in red and white varieties. See separate entries on each.
Cooking Tips
Both varieties have a creamy texture when cooked.
They need about 3 hours of boiling if unsoaked, closer to 2 if soaked before cooking.
Rinse canned ones in a sieve under running water to remove sludge and some excess sodium off them.
Substitutes
Great Northern Beans
Nutrition
Kidney beans, white or red, should never be eaten raw as they contain trace amounts of a poison that is destroyed by cooking.
Equivalents
1 pound (450 g) dried = 2 to 2 ½ cups dried = 5 to 6 cups, boiled
1 cup of dried beans = approx 8 oz / 225 g = approx 3 cups, boiled
1 cup cooked, drained = 170 g = 6 oz
1 15oz / 420 g tin of cooked, drained and rinsed = 1 ½ cups = 9 oz / 250 g
1 19oz / 540 ml tin of cooked, drained and rinsed = 2 cups = 12 oz / 340 g