Forum > Food

Beans from a can vs cooking from scratch

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Lintu:
So.  How big a difference is it, really?  I always hear that cooking from scratch is way better, but are we talking...canned beans are like McDonald's, and cooking from scratch is like Olive Garden?  Or is it that canned beans are like McDonald's and scratch-cooked are like that amazing hole in the wall Italian place down the block? 

redkitty:
Are you talking nutrition or taste?  Personally, I cannot tell much of a difference in taste and if you gave me a canned v a home cooked one, i doubt I could pick one out over the other. As far as nutrition, I actually have no idea.  If you used canned beans, I suggest rinsing them off very well, though, since they are loaded with salt. Rinsing can get a lot of the salt out.

Btw, I am totally guessing most people are going to tell you that homemade tastes so much better. I guess you should experiment and see for yourself.  For me, homecooked isn't worth the effort nor do I ever eat that many beans at once (so a can is a good size for me.) One tip on beans if you get dried ones...when they get too old they do NOT cook well. I didn't know that. I thought they had a long shelf life...a year is too long.

Run Amok:
Hmmm... I guess I would say it's sort of the difference between "soup I made myself" and "soup from a can". Does that help?

Beans are not really that complicated to make... so why not try it once and see how it goes?  :)

I find it worthwhile enough that I basically no longer buy canned beans. The taste and texture is just so much better when you make them yourself.  Or maybe it's mostly texture. But the other thing is that you can flavor the beans while you cook them, if you cook them yourself. If you try and do that with canned beans, they just turn to mush.

Run Amok:
...and, if you want to try it- I recommend this recipe to start with: http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/10/in_praise_of_peasant_cooking

The beans turn out really flavorful and delicious and the cooking liquid actually makes a really yummy stock all on its own. But, the accompanying recipes to go with the beans are all really good and give a good sense for the versaitility of using cooked beans. When I made this recipe for the first time I used the beans in a soup that didn't really work out... when I asked dh what he though he didn't like the soup much, but thought the beans were great (and he's not much of a bean guy). I change this recipe up and sometimes use rosemary instead of sage. I make a big batch and then freeze them. They go into soups, into pastas, on top of salads, etc. Very versatile, and satisfying.

But... I really like beans. So, there's that.

Beyond soup, I also make homemade baked beans. They are really yummy and, again, I just freeze them in ready to go portions. I eat 1/2 cup beans + a grilled cheese sandwhich and a salad. Yummy, satisfying, really healthy. The home made ones are sooooo much better than what you get out of a can.

If you don't have time to soak overnight, you can do the quick method and bring to a boil and let them sit for 2 hours.

Also, I understand they cook quite quickly in a pressure cooker. But, I've also heard the texture is more like a canned bean in that case.

merigayle:
I make beans from scratch because i want to avoid cans in general and the lined cans are too expensive for beans. I find beans freeze really well too. I cook them in my pressure cooker and the times vary depending on the bean. You do not really need to presoak them. I think the beans taste the same EXCEPT chickpeas. The fresh chickpeas taste incredible. I just cannot put how in words. They just taste amazing. My local natural food store sells dry beans bulk and i buy them there and cook about 4-5 cups at a time.

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