Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are native to the Middle East where they are used in spreads, salads, soups and curries. Grocery stores carry canned, ready-to-use garbanzo beans; however, preparing dried garbanzo beans is more economical. To avoid having to rinse, soak and boil garbanzo beans every time you want to use them, prepare them in bulk and freeze them. Freezing garbanzo beans requires methods of preparation and packaging that guarantee undamaged beans after thawing.
Undercook the garbanzo beans slightly, so after thawing they can come to full softness after being added to your recipes.
Drain the water from the boiled garbanzo beans using a strainer.
Spoon the garbanzo beans onto a cookie sheet and allow them to cool and dry.
Place the cooled garbanzo beans in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes. Allowing them to freeze before packaging will prevent the garbanzo beans from becoming smashed and stuck together when they are packaged.
Remove the garbanzo beans from the freezer and pour them into a freezer bag or an airtight, plastic tub. Mark an expiration date on the container of three months in the future.
Thaw garbanzo beans gradually, setting them out at room temperature or in a bowl of tepid water. Beans thawed in the microwave will dry out and beans thawed in boiling water will become mushy.
