Bean week last month changed my mind about canned beans

I always swore by dry beans because they're cheaper and taste better. But last month I had a really bad week where I worked late 4 nights in a row and had zero energy to soak and cook beans for dinner. I grabbed a can of black beans from the pantry and made tacos in 15 minutes. Honestly, the convenience saved me from ordering takeout 3 times that week. Has anyone else found a specific canned food that actually saves you money in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_rivera761mo ago

Gotta disagree with you here. I think you're overestimating how much you saved vs. just eating simpler. A can of beans is like $1.50 now, and a pound of dry is still under $2.00 for way more servings. That markup adds up fast if you're using them regular. Plus I find canned beans taste kinda mushy and salty, so I end up adding more stuff to fix the texture and flavor. Dry beans take 10 minutes of active work the night before, soak overnight, then maybe 45 minutes to cook. You can batch cook them on a Sunday and have them all week. I get that bad weeks happen, but calling canned beans a money saver feels like a stretch when the math doesn't really back it up.

kim9631mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I've been there too many times where I think "canned is fine" and then I'm rinsing them and adding extra spices to hide that weird metallic taste. What finally worked for me was getting a cheap slow cooker at a thrift store. Toss dry beans in before work with water and some aromatics, come home to perfectly cooked beans for basically pennies per serving. I freeze half in portions so I'm not eating beans every single day for a week straight. Honestly the texture alone is worth the extra planning, canned beans always feel like they're trying to fool me into thinking they're real food.

barbaraw4727d ago

Canned beans are a trap for lazy cooks. The texture is always off, like eating little bland sponges. Dry beans take some planning but they actually taste like something. That metallic taste in cans never really washes out no matter how much you rinse. For the price difference, dry is the smarter choice every time.