Rancho Gordo

Three New Bean-Centric Cookbooks We Love | Eater

"Known for championing heirloom and new-crop varieties, this bean purveyor has built a near-cult following — its Bean Club had a 2022 waitlist of about 40,000 — by sourcing rare, highly flavorful beans such as black chickpeas and dappled vaqueros that prioritize taste over commodity yield. The founder’s primer demystifies beans with detailed profiles of some 50 varieties, practical cooking guidance (including safety notes about toxins like phytohaemagglutinin), and historical context, arguing that careful attention to each batch links cooks to their ancestors and the land. While many recipes showcase the company’s specialty beans, they include sensible substitutes, and the overall ethos is that better beans and thoughtful cooking can make legumes exciting and accessible to cooks of many diets." - Bettina Makalintal