That bag of dried beans I ignored for a year ended up being a game changer

I always figured dried beans were just more work for no real payoff. Then last winter I got stuck with a limited grocery budget after a big roof repair came up. I finally tried cooking a pound of pinto beans from a bag that cost $1.50, and after soaking and simmering they came out creamy and way better than canned. Now I keep a rotation of black beans and chickpeas in my pantry. Has anyone else found a cheap staple they originally wrote off?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathana484d ago

Right, because who needs convenience when you can spend three days soaking beans and pretending you're a pioneer. I tried the same thing with chickpeas and ended up with a pot of gray mush that tasted like wet cardboard. But hey, saved a dollar and earned a new hobby - guessing if the beans are done by poking them with a fork like a mad scientist.

rose_cooper3d ago

Oh man, "guessing if the beans are done by poking them like a mad scientist" hit me right in the feels @nathana48. I did that exact thing with black beans last week and ended up with half mush, half rocks that were somehow both undercooked AND mushy at the same time. The fork test is a lie, I swear. You poke one and it squishes, but then the next one shatters the fork tines like a villain. And dont get me started on the soaking time debate - some folks say 8 hours, some say 24, and my grandma just yells "when the water turns dark, theyre ready" like that means anything. Honestly, canned beans are overrated for their flimsy texture, but at least I dont have to schedule my whole week around when they might or might not be edible. lol

finleyw992d ago

Sleeping with two pillows sounds like a rookie mistake honestly - you want one flat one for your head and another just for hugging (which is the real trick, @rose_cooper). Plus the fork test only works if you've already boiled them for like an hour first, otherwise you're just guessing blind.