Refried Beans

STOP BUYING CANNED REFRIED BEANS

Okay I will tone it down a bit, but seriously,

Hear me out… I have a list of reasons why… 

 

1. It is WAY cheaper to buy dried beans in bulk.

What not swayed by money? okay…

2. You can control the fat, salt and the preservatives

Not swayed by health? okay…

3.Refried Beans are ridiculously easy to make at home!

Not swayed by ease of work? Fine then do it for this reason:

4. The taste is supremely better than any brand in a can. 

Allow me to prove my point: 

 

First and foremost, regardless of the quality/brand of beans you must

sift through them. Pull out any beans that are extra dirty, or moldy looking.

Keep an eye out for small pebbles and other debris. Yep that is a corn

kernel in picture number two… I have no explanation… all I can say is, this is a

crucial step. Now, rinse with fresh water several times over.

 

Dried beans more than double in size and soak up a ton of water.

I fill my crock with 1/3 dried beans and the rest of the way with

water.  This will result in a full crock pot of beans .

Place the crock pot on high and let beans cook until tender.

Tip1: keep an eye on your beans and do not allow them to run low on water.

Also note: the older your beans are the longer they will take to

cook and the more water you will go through.

Tip2: do not add salt to your water, this causes more of the skins to peal,

which stick in your teeth later… eeew!

You will know when your beans are done, when you smash a single bean

and they smash with little resistance, the consistency is smooth

and there is no graininess to it’s texture.

It does take several hours for your beans to cook up. The time

varies depending on the age of your beans, your crockpot, and

how large the batch is that you are cooking.

Tip 3: if you plan on serving your beans the day of cooking be sure to start them

in the morning.

Tip 4: I strongly dislike the smell of beans as they cook. If you place a glass of vinegar

out on the counter near your beans it reduces the smell. (I do not know why this

works but it really does. … I know … Weird!)

My beans are cooked … NOW WHAT?

This is my favorite part, as I have developed a very easy and very

healthy way of mashing my beans with no added oil

and very little effort…… It’s quick,

it’s effortless it’s…..

….the MIXER method!

 That’s right I put my slightly cooled beans directly from the

crock pot to the mixer and tah-dah! Perfectly smashed beans!

At this point they are ready to store or re-heat in a skillet to eat.

If you are eating them right away, now is the time to season with salt.

 If they seem too thick or on the dry side simply add a little water

to them. If they are a little runny, allow them to cook longer

uncovered and the extra water will evaporate.

Tip 5: you do NOT have to “fry” your beans. Simply heat them up and

season with salt to your liking. No oil/lard needed. Which is way healthier!

If you are freezing some or all the beans, you can place them in your

favorite freezer-ware  or…

Tip 6: place your freshly mashed beans in freezer bags. Freezing the

beans in this flat way speeds up the thawing process.

Or,

  If you are like me and do not always remember to pull stuff from the freezer

before work, I simply slice the bag open and pop my “bean brick” in a skillet add

a little sprinkle of water and this flat package thaws and cooks up in no time!

(Keeping the convenience of the dreaded “canned beans.”)

 

So have I pled my case well?

Let me add just a couple more facts.

Myth: I have to soak my beans overnight before cooking.

Your beans will cook just fine without this old school step. I have not

tasted or noted ANY benefit to soaking.  

Myth: I have to add lard to the beans as they cook to make them soft.

This is a traditional way to make beans, and it does help make them

soft faster. However, your beans will be just as soft without the lard

with a little more time on the fire. Also, your heart and family will thank you later

for not adding this heart disease causing agent.  

Myth: I have to fry them with oil when I mash my beans.

You can still call them refried beans without actually frying them.

It is simply an unnecessary, unhealthy step. 

Myth: I need to add a lot of salt to make them taste good.

As I have stated in several of my posts, the way I keep the

salt content down in my cooking is by allowing the diner to

“salt to taste” which generally results in less salt in-take.

 

Try making your own tortillas to go with your beans by reading this!

 

Linked up with: Lil’Luna,

 

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