Canned Beans

[TdeV]

For many, many years I have cooked beans from their dried state. Recently I was reading about the wisdom of having a couple of cans of beans available, and so I bought two cans each of kidney beans, navy beans and chickpeas.

 

To my surprise, all three types of beans were surrounded by a thick viscous clear-ish "sauce".  Nothing on the outside of the can described the sauce; I was expecting water. The ingredients are listed as: bean, water, salt and calcium chloride; or, bean, water, salt disodium edta; and the kidney beans add sugar.

 

Is this how canned beans are now sold?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Yes, and it's not necessarily a bad thing.  Chickpea juice, if I may call it that, can be whipped like egg whites, sort of.  As much as I like dried beans, canned beans are not the devil.  Many a time I have given thanks for finding a can of beans in the bedroom.

 

[shain]

It's because commercialy canned beans are cooked in the smallest poissble amount of water. This means the cooking liquid is very concentrated and full of starches and proteins which, when chilled to room temperature is quite viscous. 

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

The juice in the can of garbanzos is called "aquafaba," and has been highly praised as a substitute for egg whites. It doesn't whip up as stiffly as egg whites but it is perfectly useful in a pisco sour or chocolate mousse. It has no strong flavor that comes from the beans (and all beans can be used this way, it turns out, though garbanzos are favored). It's the starch and protein in the liquid, I think, that makes it froth when beaten. Use a stick blender--works fine.

 

Nancy in Pátzcuaro

[heidih]

I am not a canned bean fan but I always have a "back pocket" can of chickpeas. Despite the more frequent admonition to rinse canned beans I often use the liquid. To my jaded taste buds it seems to add a flavor that enhances. 

[chromedome]

I'm also in the "always have a few cans" camp. Even with an IP, cooking beans from dry requires at least a modicum of forethought. That's not always forthcoming, and so I appreciate the convenience of having a can right to hand in my hour of need.

 

 

 

(...also sometimes I'm just lazy....)

[kayb]

I keep on hand:

--A can of black beans and a can of shoe-peg corn and  jar of roasted red peppers, for a bean-and-corn salad when I'm cooking something that calls for such.

--A couple of cans of chickpeas in the event I want hummus in a hurry.

--A couple of cans of cannelini beans to go with the cans of oil-packed tuna and a few capers for a quick lunch when I'm in that notion

 

It's occurred to me to stock up on Rancho Gordos in the late summer, cook bunches of them and can them for those purposes. But that's more work than I really want to undertake. I am, however, contemplating some "Eye of the Goat" beans with the bone from the Christmas ham this week.