Butter beans

Soak them in plenty of cold water for 8–12 hours, then drain and rinse. Cover with fresh water, bring to a full boil for at least 10 minutes, then simmer until tender, usually 45–60 minutes; older beans can take longer.

They are already cooked, so drain and rinse them, then add them to a dish near the end just long enough to heat through. Stir gently: they can break apart if boiled hard.

Use them in Greek gigantes plaki, baked slowly in tomato sauce with herbs, or add them to soups and stews. For a quick side, warm them with olive oil, garlic and chopped rosemary.

Yes. Warm drained beans, then mash with olive oil, lemon juice and a little of their cooking liquid until creamy; they make a good alternative to mashed potato or a base for toast toppings.

Cool them promptly and refrigerate in a covered container, with a little cooking liquid to stop them drying out; use within 3–4 days. You can freeze them in portions, ideally with some of the liquid.

Cannellini beans are the closest easy swap in soups, stews and salads: they are similarly mild and creamy, though usually a little firmer. Chickpeas work too, but have a nuttier flavour and hold their shape more.

Butter bean is a common name for the large, mature lima bean. The names can also be used differently for smaller or younger lima beans, but the large, creamy beans sold as butter beans are lima beans.

No. Dried butter beans must be soaked and thoroughly boiled before eating; raw or undercooked lima beans can contain naturally occurring compounds that release cyanide. Tinned butter beans are already cooked.