# Canned beans or dried?



## vagriller (Aug 22, 2006)

I like to make chili and soup, and I have a question. Is it preferable to use canned beans or reconstitute dried beans? I have never had luck reconstituting dried beans. They always seem a little hard.


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## pdswife (Aug 22, 2006)

I use canned beans for chili
and dried for soup.  WHY?  Don't ask me.  It's just what I do.


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## Alix (Aug 22, 2006)

Canned for me. I have had issues with dried beans too. Sometimes they are too old to reconstitute well. Canned beans have never failed me.


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## ChefJune (Aug 22, 2006)

If I have time, I prefer to use dried beans, but sometimes you just can't!  so I rinse off the canned beans very well and proceed.  I always prefer to cook my own because I like to add herbs and sometimes cook the beans in stock for more flavor, and because I sometimes think I can taste the "can"


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## vagriller (Aug 22, 2006)

Maybe it's a hard water issue as suggested in this thread.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f20/soup-beans-how-do-you-make-yours-25791.html


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## sattie (Aug 22, 2006)

Canned has my vote.... never has failed and I never notice the difference.


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## Gretchen (Aug 22, 2006)

I think I posted in the other thread that I don't think hard water makes any difference with cooking beans. Give a thought to our pioneer foremothers. I use canned beans for chili and a lot of other things. I also love to cook dried beans. 
The MOST important thing about dried beans is their comparative freshness. Even dried beans can be "old" and will not cook to soft.


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## Euralenna (Aug 22, 2006)

I think old beans might be problematic too, but in my case, I have bought new beans at least 6 times, and at first I thought it might have been old beans, so I bought them at different places.  What are the odds that in 6 times at at least 5 different stores ( in two states) that I got old beans?   
And the fact that I've never had a problem before cooking beans in WA, KS, or Germany, or at the two other houses I lived at in Mi where I had city water.  

And now the beans I cooked today are perfect...they were made with reverse osmosis water.

I say, if your beans are not getting soft after hours of cooking ( 10) and/or if they are shedding thier shells that have the texture of pill capsules, then it's either old beans or it's your water.

I found this link which mentions dry beans and hard water.  

http://www.kelleybean.com/Consumer-info.asp


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## jennyema (Aug 22, 2006)

pdswife said:
			
		

> I use canned beans for chili
> and dried for soup. WHY? Don't ask me. It's just what I do.


 
That's what I do too, usually.

I use dried beans for most all things that call for beans, 'cept chili.  I like them better and they come in more interesting varieties.


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## licia (Aug 22, 2006)

I use the canned beans in chili gravy for chili and I used canned beans in salad (rinse and drain), but I use dried beans for soup and just for a bean dish.


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## jennyema (Aug 22, 2006)

Woops ...

Canned beans in Italian white bean salad and in burritos.


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## Aurora (Aug 22, 2006)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> ... I rinse off the canned beans very well and proceed.


Why do you rinse the beans?  The liquid is very flavorful.  I always add it in preference to water in chili or soups or even salads.  I've fixed these dishes with the beans with the can liquid and rinsed without the liquid and I cannot tell any difference in digestion. The dishes are just more flavorful with the can liquid.

I've always wondered why recipes specify to discard the liquid and rinse the beans well.

I'd love to hear some good reasons other than "my mother did it that way" or "that's what the recipe said to do".

Alton, are you out there?


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## kimbaby (Aug 22, 2006)

I use can BEANS for chili...
I use dry Beans for bean soup(s)


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 22, 2006)

I use canned kidney, pinto, and black beans for chili.  And I add the can liquor as well.  As Aurora said, it adds flavor.

For home-made soups, refried beans, and baked beans, I use dried beans.  But I have made great baked beans starting with great northern beans that came pre-cooked in a very large jar and they worked great as well.

I believe that it's just a matter of preference.  But with kidney beans, the dried variety have less flavor than the canned, due to the sweetener added to the canned bans.

Also, when you are cooking the beans, if you have a pressure cooker, it will virtually garuntee that your beans come out tender.  Just be sure to follow the directions that come with your cooker.

I have relatively hard well water and have never experience any problems with my beans.  But I suspect that if your water has sulphur in it, that might inhibit the softening action as sulphur plus water will create a weak sulphuric acid.  And any acids that are added to beans before they are fully cooked with interfere with them becoming soft.  

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## VeraBlue (Aug 22, 2006)

Using dried beans is always more effective if you soak them overnight.  It gives them a head start absorbing the cooking liquid.  Just change the water and rinse them off before you add them to your broth.

Once you get used to working with dried beans, you'll remember which varieties cook faster than others.


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## VeraBlue (Aug 22, 2006)

Aurora said:
			
		

> Why do you rinse the beans?  The liquid is very flavorful.  I always add it in preference to water in chili or soups or even salads.  I've fixed these dishes with the beans with the can liquid and rinsed without the liquid and I cannot tell any difference in digestion. The dishes are just more flavorful with the can liquid.
> 
> I've always wondered why recipes specify to discard the liquid and rinse the beans well.
> 
> ...



I always found the liquid in the cans to be gummy....I'd rather just have the bean to work with than the odd textured bean residue...


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## licia (Aug 22, 2006)

I don't like the texture in the canned beans either and I'd rather rinse the salt and stuff out and use my own seasonings.


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## Swann (Aug 23, 2006)

I am one who always uses dried beans. I dislike the taste of canned beans.


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## ChefScotty (Aug 23, 2006)

Aurora said:
			
		

> I'd love to hear some good reasons other than "my mother did it that way" or "that's what the recipe said to do".


 
I'll give you the rationale and you can decide for yourself.   Its essentially to do with flatulence.    That's generally an issue when the digestive system has an inability to absorb particular carbohydrates in that we don't have digestive enzymes to break down complex oligosaccharides.   Beans, cabbage, brussels sprouts, apricots, bananas, etc etc   Most flatulence is caused by bacteria, who actively feed on indigestible carbs and sugars

The more you eat beans the better your body will become at dealing with these issues.  It seems to be generally accepted that soaking beans for a long time will remove more of the carbohydrates, so the extended rationale then is that since beans in a can have been soaking for ever there's even more dissolved sugars, so even more reason to discard the liquid.     I've never seen anything proving this but it's not an unreasonable extrapolation.   I don't think "there's bubbles in the liquid" quite confirms this.

And then we could talk about all the flavor you're washing away.   Hence why people are generally in one camp or the other on this one.


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## karadekoolaid (Aug 23, 2006)

I keep tinned beans around for emergencies, or when I have no time to soak . Otherwise, it's dry beans all the time - soak for at least 8 hours, rinse , then cook for the required time ( they all vary) in water WITHOUT salt. Occasionally you'll find some tough old beans, but dried beans, peas and lentils are a staple over here so the produce moves a lot on the supermarket shelves. Flavour-wise, there probably is a difference because the tinned beans often have  preservatives or acids added to conserve them longer. 

As for the flatulence issue - oh so true! The more you eat, the more your body  gets used to the legumes. Indian cookery uses a wonderful spice called _asafoetida _or _hing_. ( Actually it's a dried resin). A pinch of hing added to the beans seems to make them more easily digestible.


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## vagriller (Sep 25, 2006)

Something occured to me about the issue of hard beans. Maybe the salt added to canned beans allows them to absorb more water, much like when you brine chicken. Thoughts?


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## bjcotton (Sep 25, 2006)

I always use dried beans and then cook them myself.  Canned just don't taste right IMO.


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## Constance (Sep 25, 2006)

For chili, I use canned beans...Bush's Chili Hot Beans, with the sauce. I wish some of you would try them, just once. 
I also use canned beans for my Killer Baked Beans...pork & beans with sauce, and then butterbeans, baby limas, great northern, cannelli beans, and crowder peas, all rinsed. The liquid isn't bad, if you need more juice, but it's awfully starchy...kinda remenicent of wallpaper paste. 

I don't like red kidney or black beans in anything.

I use dried beans for bean soups. The soup does cook faster if you soak the beans. The way I do it is to put the beans in a large pot with enough water to cover the beans plus 2 inches. Bring to a boil, give them a stir, then cover and remove from heat. This method can be done in the morning, as it only takes a couple of hours.


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## vagriller (Sep 25, 2006)

What do you folks think about my salt water theory?


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## Andy M. (Sep 25, 2006)

The salt would effect the absorption of water one way or the other.  It's just there for the flavor.  The beans are cooked either before going into the can or in the can.  That's why they are soft and moist.


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## BreezyCooking (Sep 26, 2006)

I use canned beans in chili, salads, & soups where the beans aren't the main ingredient.  These days the quality & variety of canned beans is quite high, & all one needs do is pour them into a colander, rinse, & drain, before use.

However, when the bean is the main ingredient in a  recipe - like Black Bean Soup or Cassoulet - I always use dried beans & do the overnight soak before cooking thing.  Have never had a problem with "hard" beans.


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## vagriller (Sep 26, 2006)

Maybe I should ask what brand of dried beans you use, and how do you tell if they are fresh? The Navy beans I plan to cook have been floating around the cupboard for some time now.


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## Gretchen (Sep 26, 2006)

The general advice on buying beans is to get them from stores where there is likely to be a good turnover or that has bulk bins.  My most recent favoritest kitchen pot is my pressure cooker. Absolutely love the ability to have a stew in 25 minutes--or a pot of beans in 20.  I would go ahead and try yours--I've cooked some pretty old ones.  Do the overnight soak however. It at least gives you a fighting chance.


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## vagriller (Sep 26, 2006)

Gretchen said:
			
		

> I would go ahead and try yours--I've cooked some pretty old ones.  Do the overnight soak however. It at least gives you a fighting chance.



Thanks!


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> I use canned beans in chili, salads, & soups where the beans aren't the main ingredient. These days the quality & variety of canned beans is quite high, & all one needs do is pour them into a colander, rinse, & drain, before use.
> 
> However, when the bean is the main ingredient in a recipe - like Black Bean Soup or Cassoulet - I always use dried beans & do the overnight soak before cooking thing. Have never had a problem with "hard" beans.


 
I've ususally preferred soaking and cooking dried beans. But this weekend we made a red beans and rice dish that called for two cans of red or kidney beans. I was skeptical, but it came out tasting great -- even better than my old stand-by that calls for dried beans. 

One thing, though: I bought organic canned beans. They didn't have anything in them but beans and salt, unlike the other brands. I don't know whether that made the difference or not, but we were pleasantly suprised at the tasty results.


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

vagriller said:
			
		

> What do you folks think about my salt water theory?


 
I don't know about canned beans, but I do know that the opposite is true when cooking dried beans. You should always wait until the beans are tender before adding salt because salt can actually prevent the beans from becoming tender.


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## TATTRAT (Sep 26, 2006)

I like using canned personaly, just too easy to pop that can, and really helps reduce the chilli to stomach time.

As far as the salt theroy, I wouldn't.


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## vagriller (Sep 26, 2006)

TATTRAT said:
			
		

> I like using canned personaly, just too easy to pop that can, and really helps reduce the chilli to stomach time.
> 
> As far as the salt theroy, I wouldn't.


 
Yeah, for chili I do like canned. But when you is workin' a ham bone what's the rush?


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

_The more you eat beans the better your body will become at dealing with these issues._

You mean to tell me that that old schoolyard rhyme is bogus?


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## Seven S (Sep 26, 2006)

suzyQ3 said:
			
		

> You should always wait until the beans are tender before adding salt because salt can actually prevent the beans from becoming tender.



[FONT=Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Times]"To salt or not to salt? Beans need salt for flavor, but many venerable cooks say to hold off on adding it until late in cooking because salt toughens the skins. Shirley O. Corriher, author of "CookWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking," says when you add salt makes no difference -- unless you start with really old beans, which salt can actually help tenderize. 
"What people don't realize is, the reason their beans aren't getting soft after two hours is they're old beans. So they need to try to find as fresh a dried bean as they can." 
We say, better to start with fresh beans and salt them as you please. Italian cooking guru Marcella Hazan agrees: She spent a lifetime following the established wait-to-salt notion, but now she salts even the beans' soaking water, saying that it has no ill effect on the skins, and improves their taste. If you're a "late salter," note this tip: Taste the cooking water to adjust seasoning, not the beans, which may take a while to absorb it. "
http://www.loghouseplants.com/Oregonian_magic_beans.htm

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"[/FONT]Not only does Corriher recommend salting during cooking (she also likes to add bay leaves, thyme, ham hocks or salt pork, as many a Southerner will), she says adding salt to the soaking water can help soften recalcitrant beans, those that are old or have been stored improperly. They are the beans that never seem to soften, even after cooking them all day.[FONT=Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Times]"
The Bean Truth- Chicago Times






[/FONT]


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

Seven S said:
			
		

> [FONT=Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Times]"To salt or not to salt? Beans need salt for flavor, but many venerable cooks say to hold off on adding it until late in cooking because salt toughens the skins. Shirley O. Corriher, author of "CookWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking," says when you add salt makes no difference -- unless you start with really old beans, which salt can actually help tenderize.
> "What people don't realize is, the reason their beans aren't getting soft after two hours is they're old beans. So they need to try to find as fresh a dried bean as they can."
> We say, better to start with fresh beans and salt them as you please. Italian cooking guru Marcella Hazan agrees: She spent a lifetime following the established wait-to-salt notion, but now she salts even the beans' soaking water, saying that it has no ill effect on the skins, and improves their taste. If you're a "late salter," note this tip: Taste the cooking water to adjust seasoning, not the beans, which may take a while to absorb it. "
> http://www.loghouseplants.com/Oregonian_magic_beans.htm
> ...


 
Thanks for that info. It sems to be one of those interminable food debates. Here's one interesting compromise.


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## karadekoolaid (Sep 26, 2006)

vagriller said:
			
		

> Something occured to me about the issue of hard beans. Maybe the salt added to canned beans allows them to absorb more water, much like when you brine chicken. Thoughts?


I've read loads of stuff about beans, how to soak, how to cook, how to condiment, etc. etc. 

I'd always added salt and all the spices at the start of the cooking. 
then one day I read a post which said " DONT SALT YOUR BEANS!! 
 ( until they've cooked). 

So like some pathetic groupie, I slaveishly followed the advice. 

Thing is, it worked - at least for me. Lentils do not seem to be affected, but red beans, chick peas, black-eyed peas, navy beans, pigeon peas, you name 'em - seem to cook better and softer when you add the salt AFTER they're cooked. 

Tinned beans? I always keep a few cans handy, just in case; but I prefer to cook my own . Over here, a can ( 250gms after draining) costs a dollar. 250 gms dried beans produces about 5 times that amount... and costs $0.50.


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## ChefJune (Sep 26, 2006)

I often cook rice with my beans, and I add the salt for the last 45 minutes, when I add the brown rice.  It always works out extremely well and tastes _great!_


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## Andy M. (Sep 26, 2006)

Steve:

Thanks for the technical support.  Hopefully, another cooking myth put to rest.


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## jennyema (Sep 26, 2006)

I've never salted my soaking water but now I'm going to try that.  I made pasta fagioli on Sunday and seasoned the cooking water liberally with salt and spices/herbs.


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Steve:
> 
> Thanks for the technical support. Hopefully, another cooking myth put to rest.


 
I'm not sure that "myth" is really an apt description. It seems, as even evident on this thread, that it is more a disagreement, replete with adherents to each side and middle-of-the-roaders like me.


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> I've never salted my soaking water but now I'm going to try that. I made pasta fagioli on Sunday and seasoned the cooking water liberally with salt and spices/herbs.


 
I think the question was about when to salt the beans during cooking, not during soaking.


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## ChefJune (Sep 26, 2006)

I use lots of seasonings in with my beans, but not salt...


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## Andy M. (Sep 26, 2006)

Steve's qouted sources are all respected food scientists or cooks who support the premise that salt does not toughen beans, regardless of when it's added to the water.

Acidic ingredients do effect the softening of beans and should only be added later in the cooking process.


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## suzyQ3 (Sep 26, 2006)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> Steve's qouted sources are all respected food scientists or cooks who support the premise that salt does not toughen beans, regardless of when it's added to the water.
> 
> Acidic ingredients do effect the softening of beans and should only be added later in the cooking process.


 
I have no big problem either way, but in terms of respected sources, I would think that the one I used would also be considered "respected," as would be this and this.

My point, which is not a big one, is simply that there is disagreement here. That's all. So I don't consider one side or another a "myth."


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## thymeless (Sep 27, 2006)

I use both canned and dry beans. I generally prefer dry, except for chickpeas/garbanzos. But those are also more difficult to find dry. I often use black beans from a can for dips and salsas. But those I usually throw together on a whim so it makes more sense to use a canned product.

I cook beans in a pressure cooker. Faster. No need to presoak. No worries about the freshness of the bean. As long as the bean isn't withered and wrinkled, it will cook up fine in a pressure cooker.  I usually add some onion and garlic and bay leaf to the pot.

Lentils I cook in a normal pot. They cook fast enough as it is.

And some Beano at the table.

thymeless


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## Gretchen (Sep 27, 2006)

But there is one large benefit of salting beans during cooking--the salt is incorporated into the bean instead of just "sitting on it or in the liquid". More depth of flavor, just as it is better to salt pasta or veggies during cooking.


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## shpj4 (Sep 27, 2006)

I would use canned beans.


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