Mushy, boring, poor excuse for real food? Before you say "bean" there,
done that to this pantry staple, you may want to check out the biggest myths about canned beans.
A common misconception about canned beans is that they've been so heavily processed
that all their nutrients have been leached out. And it's easy to see why one could think this:
Processed food just has a bad reputation.
But, in reality, canned beans undergo much less processing and time-related
degradation than you might think. While fresh beans start losing their vitamin
and mineral content as soon as they're picked, according to a report by the Quad-City Times,
canned beans, and other vegetables, are often processed the day they're harvested,
which stops the natural degradation process and locks in the original nutrients.
This means a can of beans that's been sitting on the grocery shelf for a few weeks is likely
to have more nutrients than fresh beans that have been sitting around for a couple of days.
"Cool beans."
Canned beans are such a low-profile, unglamorous foodstuff that it's easy
to assume they're all pretty much interchangeable,
apart from cosmetic differences such as size and color. But a closer look — and taste — reveals the
world of canned beans is much more nuanced, and not all canned beans are created equal.
For starters, some bean types — including cannellini beans and garbanzos – maintain
more of their inherent flavor and texture after canning than others.
In addition, SFGate notes that different brands of the same canned bean can vary greatly in
flavor and quality. In a comparative taste test of eight brands of small,
white cannellini beans, drained but not heated, tasters found a wide range of
tastes from earthy to smoky to chemical-y and textures from perfect to mushy to nearly raw.
Canned beans — and beans in general — have been getting a bad rap in the wellness and
diet scene in recent years. Several trendy diets, including Whole 30, paleo, and low-carb diets,
have declared all beans a no-no. Why? Some have argued that beans are high in carbohydrates,
which should always be avoided. In addition, others have said,
beans are hard to digest and contain lectins, a type of protein that can cause inflammation.
But according to nutritionists at Colorado State University, these dangers are greatly exaggerated.
In reality, the human body needs carbohydrates, and fiber-rich complex carbohydrates — such as
those found in beans — are the best type for promoting steady energy levels throughout the
day. And while lectins do occur in raw or undercooked beans, as well as other foods,
the problem goes away completely with canned beans, which are fully cooked.
There's no debate that a pot of freshly cooked, carefully seasoned,
high-quality dried beans will always have an edge flavor-wise over its canned counterpart. However,
this doesn't mean dried beans will always be fresher and better-tasting than canned:
It is indeed possible to spend days prepping, presoaking, then simmering,
a pot of dried beans and still ending up with a dud of a meal.
And if this happens to you, chances are it's because your beans are too old:
While dried beans are durable, they're not immortal. Per Does It Go Bad, dried beans are best
in the first year after production, but by their third birthday, they become tough and stay tough.
And because dried beans can linger unsold on store shelves for months or years,
there's often no telling how old they are when they get to you. So
if you have the choice between cooking up that dusty bag of dried beans you've
never gotten around to using or opening a can you got last week, go for the can.
"And I do make a mean pot of chili."
Another common argument against canned beans is that they contain unhealthy amounts of sodium.
And there's a grain of truth in this: Most varieties of canned beans contain added salt,
per SuperKids Nutrition, while their fresh counterparts do not.
However, as the Quad-City Times notes, canned beans still offer enough nutritional benefits,
such as protein and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, to make them worth your while. And if
you're going to cook dried beans yourself, you're almost sure to be adding salt to your
final preparation — so the difference in sodium levels may not be as big a deal as portrayed.
But if you have reason to be extra careful with your sodium intake,
you can opt for salt-free or low-sodium brands. And if none are available in your area,
simply rinsing your canned beans before using them can reduce their sodium content by up to 40%.
Serious bean fans and cooks prefer dry beans over canned because they offer
more control over the beans' final texture — an attentive cook can choose to cook them so
they still hold their shape and have a bit of a bite or until they're soft and creamy,
depending on the final dish or the cook's personal preference. With canned beans,
on the other hand, you get what you get — and it might be unpleasantly mushy.
But with a little research and effort, you can take some control over the texture of
the canned beans in your meal. As SFGate notes, some brands of beans have better textures and
flavors than others, so seek out brands with a taste profile you think you'll enjoy. And
creative cooks have developed hacks to enhance the flavor and texture of canned beans… but if
they're still too mushy for your taste? Lean into the mush and make a batch of bean dip.
Another common myth about canned beans is that they're loaded with additives — after all,
what else would enable a bunch of beans to stay unchanged in a can for months, if not years?
"I have the best stocked survival shelter in northeast Pennsylvania. But everything has a
shelf life, so I must eat and replace everything that's about to expire."
But in reality, the beans in your can may be closer to their original form than you think.
Per Mealtime.org, canning is basically a sterilization process in which fresh
beans or other vegetables are cleaned, cut, if needed, then heated under pressure in sealed,
airtight cans to cook the food and kill any bacteria or other harmful organisms.
In short, the canning process, when done correctly, produces a sterile environment
that preserves the cans' content without the need for preservatives. That being said,
however, some brands of canned beans do include preservatives… which isn't
necessarily a bad thing. According to Healthline, these additives are safe in
small quantities. So if avoiding preservatives and other additives is a priority for you,
check the labels on canned beans before buying. And don't forget to check the dates.
"Be assured, this day will come,
it's just a matter of time. Could be one month, could be two months."
"Three months."
"Could be."
What's the best way to turn a simple can of beans into a compelling meal? Chances are,
part of your process is opening the can, pouring its contents into a saucepan,
and heating it on your stove — and, of course, generations of cooks have done
this and had great results. But if you want to mix up your canned bean
routine and refresh your weeknight dinner repertoire, try turning on your oven instead.
If you have a can of chickpeas around, instead of turning them into a stew, you can make them into
crispy roasted chickpeas. Toss drained, dried canned chickpeas in olive oil, salt, and the
spices of your choice, scatter them over a sheet pan, and roast over medium-high heat until crispy.
Rainbow Plant Life recommends roasting them alongside other veggies, such as
sweet potatoes and broccoli, for an easy sheet pan dinner.
And if you have a can of baked beans, Feast and Farm suggest you can make them taste more like
homemade by mixing them with extra ketchup, mustard, and/or barbecue sauce and topping
them with bacon slices before baking them uncovered until the sauces bubble and thicken.
When shopping for ready-to-eat, shelf-stable beans, the first thing most shoppers will look
for is an aisle full of cans. But not all canned beans come in cans:
As The Prairie Homestead notes, home cooks have a long tradition of canning beans in jars.
In this process, dried beans are cleaned, soaked, and partially cooked before being ladled into
clean glass jars and heated and sterilized in a pressure canner. If you're into home canning and
want to try this, be warned that the more-common hot-water-bath sterilization method will not
do here; low-acid foods such as beans require pressure sterilization to ensure their safety.
And it's not just hardcore home cooks who can beans in jars. Some commercial brands
of cooked beans also come in glass jars. But if the idea of seeing cooked beans
in a jar seems strange to you, you might want to give them a chance:
In SFGate's taste test of eight canned bean brands, the top two picks both came in jars.
There are some prepared foods we'd happily eat straight from the jar or can — peanut butter,
Nutella, and on busy weeknights, a can of rinsed whole beans or tuna added straight
into a salad. But there are others that we keep around for convenience, even though
they're nobody's favorite. One of these is canned refried beans. While useful as a filler
for a quick quesadilla, they're not something you'd typically be proud to serve to guests.
But a closer look reveals that not all canned refried beans are the bland-but-filling paste
we've all encountered at some point. In its ranked review of canned refried beans,
The Mercury News set some high standards, noting that the best canned refried beans,
like the best restaurant beans, should be slightly chunky, rather than paste-like in texture.
They should also be well seasoned and can even be spicy, but ideally, the seasonings shouldn't
obscure the flavor of the beans. And what were the publication's picks based on those criteria?
Surprisingly, they found Taco Bell Original Refried Beans came closest to tasting like
homemade, and 365 Organic Refried Pinto Beans with Roasted Chili and Lime came in a close second.
There you have it! There's nothing wrong with being prepared for some
meals that are delicious short-cuts: Next time, reach for the canned beans!