Did you know you can use the slow cooker to turn dried beans into perfectly cooked beany goodness? No pre-soaking necessary! Really: ANY BEANS. That being said, the best dried beans come from Rancho Gordo. I used their Vaquero beans for this recipe (aren't they cool looking?) and honestly every single bean in that bag is so good. Yum! Also, bonus side effect, your home will smell really good as these beans are cooking.