Appreciation post: dried beans over canned cut my lunch cost from $1.80 to about 40 cents | Budget Friendly Meals - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Appreciation post: dried beans over canned cut my lunch cost from $1.80 to about 40 cents
I always grabbed the $1.20 cans of black beans because soaking a bag overnight felt like too much planning. Then my sister in Fresno handed me a bag of pinto beans from her pantry and I figured why not. A 2 pound bag runs about $2.50 and makes roughly 12 cups cooked, while the same amount from cans costs around $9. The real shock was taste, the pot beans actually hold their shape in chili instead of turning to mush. Now I do a big batch on Sunday, freeze half in jars, and lunch is handled. Anyone got a trick for keeping the skins from splitting when they hit the hot pan?
My buddy ran into the same splitting issue and his fix was to let the beans cool in the liquid before they ever touch a pan. Cold beans hitting hot oil are what blow the skins out, so he pulls them straight from the fridge and it helped a ton. He also said salting too early can make the skins tough, so he holds the salt until the end. One other thing he swears by is a splash of oil in the cooking water, sounds weird but he says it keeps them from rubbing and cracking. Might be worth a shot next batch.