Never buy a can of beans again.

[rocketpj]

I do a lot of cooking, and I cook with a lot of beans.  Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas, mung beans.  I also use a lot of red lentils, moong dal and other quick lentils, but I'll leave those out as they cook quickly.

My biggest problem is mostly one of time.  I work at home a lot, and I usually just take yesterday's salad, then throw some beans on top for lunch.  However, I rarely have the foresight to pre-cook the cost-effective dried beans in advance, and so I usually just end up cracking open a can of mixed beans or something.  I always buy the cans on sale, and sometimes I get them at the dollar store as well.  Typically with sales I can get a 15 oz can for $1, which is equivalent to 1.5 cups of cooked legumes.

However, it would be dramatically cheaper to step up, buy a pressure canner and start making large batches of beans, then pre-canning them myself.  This I can do - though the cost will be higher up front, it will be much cheaper in the long run as I reuse the jars for future production runs.  As a starting point I have a lot of dried beans in my house that need to be cooked and used anyway.

So here is the plan.  On Monday I will check the thrift stores for canning supplies.  I will also consider buying the pressure canner new - I distrust used vessels under pressure as I don't want a boiling water/bean explosion in my house.  I will be working at home Mon-Thursday, and I will try to cook and can as many beans as I can manage.  I'll post the costs and output in here.

Anyone else have any tips or want to compare notes?

[Lkxe]

I just boil up the beans in bulk and freeze in 2ish cup packages. Black beans I just throw in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. Kidneys boil off on the stove after soaking- that way I know the kidneys actually boiled. I don't know if canning beans is cheaper than buying canned. How much do the seals cost because they cant be reused?

[1967mama]

I cook mine all day in the crockpot, unattended :-) 1 or 2 inches of dry beans, rinsed, then fill crock to the top with hot water. Then I just bag them up in sandwich sized ziplock bags. Voila! Instant beans! They thaw in 20 seconds when you rinse them in a colander under hot water. For me, it would just be more trouble (and expense) to buy a pressure canner and jars, and new sealing lids every time. YMMV

[Fi(re) on the Farm]

Same for me. I usually have 4 or 5 kinds of beans in the freezer. I cook them off and then freeze them flat in ziploc bags. You can stack quite a bit in the corner of your freezer that way. If you don't like plastic bags you could also freeze them in leftover jars, just be sure to leave space.

[PtboEliz]

I have some yummy spicy pinto beans finishing up in the slow cooker right now. I admire your gumption to drop the canned beans - I'm looking to do the same b/c of cost and the bisphenol a in the can linings. Canning or freezing are great ideas. I find that I can make a batch of beans on the weekend, throw half in the freezer and eat the rest through the week. Good luck with your project! :)

[rocketpj]

Ok you guys are starting to make me doubt my plan.

That said, I unplugged the chest freezer in the summer, and have no intention of reviving it.  But perhaps freezing would work (though it might conflict with my 'no forward thinking' bean preparation tendencies.

[EricL]

Isn't it cheaper to buy dry beans in big sacks and just use a little foresight ("We'll have beans in tonight's dinner") and throw a couple cups worth into a covered pot with water in the morning?

[Penny Lane]

I water bath can, but not pressure can so I don't do beans.  I do pressure cook them-- try that!  I soak beans in cold water for a few hours then tip them into my cooker with a lot of water and when pressurized cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on the bean. I prefer the texture and taste and my propane supply lasts longer!  T'will make you feel v. clever.

[1967mama]

Don't be discouraged, rocketpj! You're on the right track!

Just maybe revisit the idea of freezing -- you can use the little freezer on your refrigerator, if you have one. The frozen beans stack very nicely in little ziploc bags.

One big batch of beans in the crock could give you as many as 6-8 little bags of beans, much like the cans of beans you were planning to prepare.

Good luck!

[rocketpj]

Isn't it cheaper to buy dry beans in big sacks and just use a little foresight ("We'll have beans in tonight's dinner") and throw a couple cups worth into a covered pot with water in the morning?

Of course it is, but it doesn't work for us.  We have a cupboard full of dried beans that rarely get used.  I'm trying to get ahead of that by precooking and canning them.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Don't be discouraged, rocketpj! You're on the right track!

Just maybe revisit the idea of freezing -- you can use the little freezer on your refrigerator, if you have one. The frozen beans stack very nicely in little ziploc bags.

One big batch of beans in the crock could give you as many as 6-8 little bags of beans, much like the cans of beans you were planning to prepare.

Good luck!

We use only the freezer above our fridge, and I can't remember the last time I bought a can of beans. I cook in the slow cooker, then freeze in quart-size freezer bags in two-cup portions. For best results, store them in the cooking liquid (and when you cook them, put in salt, veggie scraps, olive oil, etc.). I reuse the freezer bags, but sometimes the old ones spring leaks, so I try to reuse them for rice instead (which I also cook in big batches and freeze in two-cup portions). A freezer full of rice and beans = Mustachian prosperity!

[homehandymum]

Nobody I know pressure cans anything (it's just not a *thing* in New Zealand), so my decision to go the slow-cooker/freezer route isn't a statement against pressure canning - it's just me using what I've already got in my kitchen.

I sprout my chickpeas first if I remember, then cook overnight on high in the slow-cooker.  Bag and freeze half and use the other half for a curry for that night (also slow-cooked, throughout the day).  I throw a bay-leaf in with the beans when cooking overnight, but nothing else - I leave the seasoning for when I'm making the actual dish I want the beans for.

That said, like someone else mentioned, kidney beans need to be properly boiled, not slow cooked.  And I do tend to buy them canned.

[Maya]

Crockpot and freezing is how I work here too. I have a divider insert for my crockpot so I can cook up two types of beans at once if I want, but if you like the mixed cans anyways I'm sure you could find a few varieties with similar cooking times and cook them all together. I'll sometimes use the crockpot over night if I forgot.

With a tiny bit of planning, you could cook some up 1x per week, store some in the freezer, but put most in the fridge for use throughout the week.

[Goldielocks]

FYI.  Thrift stores here sell canning jars at 75% of new price, so not worth it unless you have a 50% off sale.  Know your prices.  Check for chipped tops.

Also, Check on Craigslist, free cycle, or ask a lot of people if they have any to give away.  Many older folks have a few dozen jars that have only collected dust for years.

[Rezdent]

We usually start one crockpot of beans on the weekends.  Sometimes we'll start 2 different kinds, as DH really prefers the exact same dish everyday...  week.after.week while I like more variety.
I used to bag and freeze until I realized they never lasted more than a week.  We actually ran out too soon at first but now we've dialed in the amounts.

If you eat the beans in less than a week there's no need to freeze them.
So, in the fridge they go - first one home starts them warming for supper.

[10dollarsatatime]

Coming from someone who cans all the time, I'm not sure the cost of a pressure canner is worth it if you're only going to be doing beans.

It's definitely worth it if you're going to start canning all the things.  I'm particularly fond of canning meat when it's on sale (after Thanksgiving turkey, for instance).  I've just put up 32 jars of tomato soup and another dozen of spaghetti sauce.  I haven't put up beans yet because I've still got a few cans leftover from my pre-canning days.  But it's food drive season.  I think I can take care of that now...

We're headed into off season for canning, which means you should be able to find more jars at thrift stores (or maybe that's really just a Utah problem).  Check freecycle and craigslist as well.  If you're buying, run your finger around the top to make sure it's smooth.

Lids are the ongoing expense... I stock up when i can find them at $1.49/box.  I've heard rumor that Golden Harvest lids can be .99/box, but i haven't been able to find any locally.  Or on the internet.  I've also looked into buying lids in bulk, but the cost/lid ends up about equal to $1.49/box after shipping, so it's not worth it to me.

If you buy a used canner, make sure to have the seal/gauge checked out by the county extension office.  I went with an All-American because they don't have rubber seals... one less thing to worry about/have to replace.

[Roland of Gilead]

How much energy does a slow cooker use if you leave it on all day?  500 watts per hour?

Paying $0.12 a Kwh would mean $0.48 added to the cost of the beans vs canned beans.

[Miamoo]

I just boil up the beans in bulk and freeze in 2ish cup packages. Black beans I just throw in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. Kidneys boil off on the stove after soaking- that way I know the kidneys actually boiled. I don't know if canning beans is cheaper than buying canned. How much do the seals cost because they cant be reused?

Great question - I haven't calculated in as much detail as I should. (I did calculate canning the homemade sauerkraut in detail tho and came up with a savings of only .06 per 24 oz jar versus storebought - still worth it to me). 12 seals here are $1.78 so that's about .15/can right there.  Bulk beans are very cheap averaging about .25/# (purchased in 25# boxes - these are organic, non organic would be cheaper).  Add in the gas for the stove, water for soaking, boiling and canning.  Probably doesn't save a whole lot but a.) the jars are re-usable = less waste.  b.) no plastic lined metal cans = no bpa's (for those concerned with such), c.) No questionable additives or beans floating in gunk that has to be rinsed off anyway.

And, I'm lazy.  Would rather take the time to can a bunch at once and have my pantry stocked  with the jars I can grab whenever I need them.  No kicking myself for forgetting to plan ahead and soak them for a meal. 

Not sure there's a huge cost savings dollar wise.  My freezer is loaded with veggies from the garden, meats from the farmer.  I wanted to and needed to start canning to save the freezer space. 

[Miamoo]

I've had great luck in finding the jars at estate sales.  No luck for me with craigslist or thrift stores.  :(

[justajane]

I would love to never buy a can of beans again, but in the past year or so, every single time I have eaten beans that were not canned, I developed back breaking intestinal pain. Every single time. It's not for a lack of soaking or short cooking either.

Just yesterday I ate the deep kettle chili at Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation). I didn't think anything of it, but last night I was up for hours with intense pain. It felt like I had an appendicitis.  I'm guessing it was made with dried beans.

Anybody know the science behind why this might be? I'm flummoxed why dried beans would do it but not canned.

[EricL]

Serious question: why bother buying canned beans or go through the effort of canning beans when you can buy them in bulk dry?  Dry beans last a long time if they're not exposed to moisture or light.  The only way to cheaper beans is to be the farmer that grows them and sells them. 

Justajane's gut busting intestinal problems to dry beans are the only objection I see.  Sadly I don't have a remedy for her.

[1967mama]

How much energy does a slow cooker use if you leave it on all day?  500 watts per hour?

Paying $0.12 a Kwh would mean $0.48 added to the cost of the beans vs canned beans.

I think it depends on where you live. According to this from my local power company:

https://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/residential/guides_tips/green-your-home/appliances_guide/cooking.html

it actually costs very little for me to run my crockpot. According the this chart, it would take less than one kWh to run my crockpot for 7 hours. The cost per kWh for me is .0752 cents, so I would not have to add 48 cents to the cost of a can of beans if I were cooking from scratch in the crockpot. I hope I've done the math right! haha! not my strong point.

Interesting discussion, and worth it, I think, to research the cost of running a crockpot in your own locale to ensure its saving you money.

Justajane -- sorry to hear about your trouble with scratch beans! Have you ever tried the product "Beano" from the health food store? I don't need it but I've heard just a couple of drops eliminates that problem.  On wikipedia it does say that slow cooked beans can be a health hazard! Here's the link in case you want to read up on it .. its in the "hazards" section near the bottom of the page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_cooker

*Edited for clarity

[homehandymum]

Justajane:  This piece says it's a problem with not soaking or cooking for long enough, or perhaps not rinsing or draining.
http://www.articlemyriad.com/tips-cooking-beans-avoiding-stomach-upset-respecting-bean/

Basically, soak for ages, rinse well, cook well and since you're having trouble, I'd throw out the cooking water as well before including the well cooked, rinsed beans in the dish.  Lots of people include the cooking water of the beans in the dish as a flavour-adding broth, but maybe that's not a good idea for you.

One thing I did see in one of my cookbooks is not to add salt to beans when cooking them as it can make them tougher.

I also try and sprout my beans first, which makes them more digestible for me.

Good luck! (or just stick with the canned ones, since they're not super expensive anyway, and you already know you can eat them) 

[Lkxe]

One thing I did see in one of my cookbooks is not to add salt to beans when cooking them as it can make them tougher.


[/quote]

And this is why you do salt lentils- it keeps them from overcooking and falling apart.

[justajane]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I usually didn't reuse the soaking water, but I imagine I reused the water they were cooked in.
My mom uses a pressure cooker to cook hers, but sadly this method also caused the aforementioned problem. I'll try disposing of the cooked water, along with some drops of Beano. In addition to being cheaper, I prefer the flavor of dried beans, especially kidney beans. 

For whatever reason, the pain only comes with dried kidney, black or pinto. I have no problems with lentils, split peas or chickpeas.

[1967mama]

http://www.nourishingdays.com/2011/03/why-beans-are-hard-to-digest-8-tips-for-making-them-easier-on-the-belly/

justajane, this article had some interesting tips and information. Wish we could find a solution for you!

:-)

[Herk]

The cost per kWh for me is .0752 cents,

If that is not a typo, you have amazingly cheap electricity.

[Fodder]

I hope you get things figured out!

I do want to echo those who freeze them.  I use plastic bags and they lay quite flat and don't take up much space in the freezer.  1 900g bag of dried beans ends up making 5-6-7 baggies of frozen cooked beans (I do it in 2 cup portions).  I always cook them without salt.

[TGod]

Wow! Timely post. I just finished canning 28 pints and 14 quarts of black and pinto beans yesterday. I would have had a few more but I ran out of pint jars and wide mouth lids, so I ended up freezing the equivalent of 8 more pints and made a huge batch of black beans soup with the left over 5 pints of black beans. Total cost for this (including propane for the canner, lids and beans) was $1.14/500ml of organic beans.

We are a big bean eating family, and we generally just buy the no name or primo brand for 1$/can. Organic beans are around 2.5$/can so though we generally do organic for most other things we weren't doing it for the beans. I really wanted to do organic beans so this was the cheapest way to go, as well as eliminating the BPA of the store bought canned beans.

A couple of things, I chose not to freeze mine simply because I am really trying to cut down on how much of my food is stored in the freezer. We don't have a generator, so if we were to lose power for an extended period I would have a heck of a time preserving all the food in my freezers before it went bad. Also, frankly I like the convenience of having cans of beans.
2nd, there are a number of comments just recommending that you plan and soak your beans overnight. I for one know that I WILL NOT EVER REMEMBER  to soak my beans the night before. I have tried, I just never think about it. So canning is the way to go for me.

You currently don't have a pressure canner, I have to say this is one of the best investments that there are for food preservers. It takes your food saving up a notch. I can salmon, tuna, beans, corn, pasta sauce, curry sauce all in the pressure canner. All that food saves me money compared to the store bought, so it will pay for itself.

[purplepear]

Good luck to you!

The problem in my household is refried beans. Tacos of all sorts are a staple around our apartment, and my roommate LOVES refried beans.

However, the canned refried beans are expensive, salty, and fatty. After trying this recipe, I'll never go back: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/not-refried-beans/

Chop 1 onion, 1 jalapeno, and throw into crockpot with beans and spices. One pound of beans makes about 6 cups, which I then divide into 2 cup servings and throw in the freezer for later.

Seriously... so delicious.

[1967mama]

The cost per kWh for me is .0752 cents,

If that is not a typo, you have amazingly cheap electricity.

Hi Patrik,

This is what I saw on our power company website:

BC Hydro's residential usage charge is a two-tiered Conservation Rate. You pay 7.52 cents per kWh for the first 1,350 kWh you use over an average two-month billing period. Above that amount, you pay 11.27 cents per kWh — what we call Step 2 — for the balance of the electricity used during the billing period.

Soooo.....I think my non-math brain placed the decimal point where I saw it on a recent bill :-)

[FLBiker]

I've used a haybox with good success cooking dried beans -- http://www.marchhareblog.com/2014/05/06/ecological-cooking-the-haybox/

[Shooter_D]

I cooked up some red kidney beans and chickpeas for use in a soup, and to freeze. I find whenever I use the quick soak method for the red kidney beans they break apart and the skins peel off an curl. This doesn't seem to happen with canned beans. Does this happen to anyone else? Really it's just an aesthetic thing but it bothers me when they explode like that. This doesn't seem to happen with chickpeas. Anyone have any issues with this? Again, it's not a big deal just wanted some opinions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rocketpj]

Well, I guess I will lose some face, but after shopping around for canning supplies I decided just to buy some freezer bags at the dollar store and cook/freeze the beans in 2 cup increments.

I like canning and will boost my canning activities, but just couldn't muster the will to spend the money right now.  From experience I know that my antennae are up for that sort of thing, and now it will come to me either through a craigslist search or some clearance sale over the next few months.

[badasswizard]

Today I discovered a secret bonus:

If you're cooking beans in the crockpot and baking bread, you can rig a rack over the crockpot and use the heat radiating from the pot to help your bread rise faster! I've been frustrated by the rate of bread rising in my chilly house. This worked wonders!

Now I want to cook extra beans so I can enjoy rapid-rising bread every day!

[Miamoo]

Today I discovered a secret bonus:

If you're cooking beans in the crockpot and baking bread, you can rig a rack over the crockpot and use the heat radiating from the pot to help your bread rise faster! I've been frustrated by the rate of bread rising in my chilly house. This worked wonders!

Now I want to cook extra beans so I can enjoy rapid-rising bread every day!

Wow!  Something new to me.  I let the bread dough rise in a stoneware bowl placed in the car.  (Covered with a piece of plastic wrap and a kitchen towel).  Even works in the winter as long as the sun's out. Place the bowl so the sun hits it.

[jooles]

I plan to purchase an electric pressure cooker for making beans on the quick.  I too eat a lot of beans and I'm tired of the cost and the sodium content of canned beans.  A pot of beans / week will replace all purchased canned beans.  It will take 10 weeks to pay for the pressure cooker.  That calculation is a reflection of savings from not purchasing canned beans (purchasing beans at 50C/lb dry rather than $1.00/can.  Then you add to that the health benefits of skipping all that sodium consumption. 

[simmias]

After reading this: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/soaking-black-beans-faq.html  and this: http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-24/food/fo-26607_1_soaked-beans I stopped soaking my beans before cooking, and now I find that I cook them much more often.  I suppose I could plan ahead, cook a huge bunch, and freeze individual servings, but after I eliminated soaking, cooking the beans only adds an hour or so to my cook time, so I just cook from dry every time.

And although anecdotal, my personal experience confirms the claims in these articles that soaking or not soaking has zero effect on gastrointestinal discomfort.

[Anje]

I too stopped pre-soaking beans this year. A few years ago I used to cook my own dried beans and freeze, but then the organic pre-cooked ones hit the market and they tasted just as good (or, I'm sad to say, on ocations much better) than home-made.

But I had the hardest time getting pre-cooked black beans, so I bought and boiled a bag (no pre-soaking). A very tasty blackbean soup was the result. Now I've done the same with chick peas and white beans. Don't know if it's the method or the quality of the dried beand, but this time around there is no doubt as to my own beeing tastier than the pre-cooked ones.

I'm lazy, so what I do is buy a bag, boil them at once (or else they end up in a cupboard for months) and then just freeze the lot. I do, however, toss the cooking-liquid. Even when making soup. Don't even know why: I've simply never considered it something I could use...

Slow cooker vs pot of water I can not have an opinion on. I never have owned or used a slow cooker.

[CommonCents]

Today I discovered a secret bonus:

If you're cooking beans in the crockpot and baking bread, you can rig a rack over the crockpot and use the heat radiating from the pot to help your bread rise faster! I've been frustrated by the rate of bread rising in my chilly house. This worked wonders!

Now I want to cook extra beans so I can enjoy rapid-rising bread every day!

Wow!  Something new to me.  I let the bread dough rise in a stoneware bowl placed in the car.  (Covered with a piece of plastic wrap and a kitchen towel).  Even works in the winter as long as the sun's out. Place the bowl so the sun hits it.

I just learned a new trick that worked wonders in my chilly house.
Boil a bowl of water in the microwave for 4-5 mins.  Put the dough in there to rise with the hot bowl. 

[daffyduck]

After many bouts of gastrointestinal distress when consuming legumes, I've developed a protocol that seems to work for me to make them an enjoyable and frugal staple of my diet.

Using a solution of cold water, salt, and apple cider vinegar:

• Rehydrate at ~125F for ~4 hours;
• Drain, rinse, replace solution, and soak at ~145F for ~8 hours;
• Drain, rinse, and simmer in the same solution or plain water for an appropriate amount of time until desired doneness is reached.

This protocol is based on the one used by the canneries, and seems an expedient and energy efficient way to reduce lectins and oligosaccharides, which may be what caused my issues. And now that I've linked to a study, I will add that one must be careful out there on the wide internet; there's a ton of cargo cult science on both sides of the 'legume issue'. As with anything else, I find legumes are best served with a generous garnish of critical thinking.

[SnackDog]

We don't buy canned anything anymore.  There is nothing good about anything in a can.  We don't live in the 19th century any longer so there is really no need for canned food.  It is not good for you.   Cook fresh!  Freeze, if required.

[Rural]

We don't buy canned anything anymore.  There is nothing good about anything in a can.  We don't live in the 19th century any longer so there is really no need for canned food.  It is not good for you.   Cook fresh!  Freeze, if required.

While I should really join this challenge, freezing is not a good substitute for actual shelf-stable food. One power outage and it all goes to shit.


Dry beans, on the other hand, are shelf-stable, at least for a very long time.

[alsoknownasDean]

How many dried beans would be the equivalent to a standard can of beans?

I just had a look at a 400g can of beans here that says it contains four serves of beans at 60g a serve, so 240g of dried beans a can sounds about right?

If that's the case, as I can get canned beans for $0.75 each at Aldi, they'd need to be under 4.16 times that ($3.12) per kilogram of dried beans. That's without taking into a account processing costs.

[abhe8]

I soak, rinse and sprout my beans. No gi issues at all, and it makes them higher in protein. Then cook. I cook a huge pot at least once a week. I just keep it in the fridge, pull some out and heat as needed. No canning or freezing needed. I buy 50# dry beans at a time. I do have economies of scale on my side, as we are a family of 6, but you could do the same on a smaller scale. I also keep a few cases of canned beans on hand for a power outage emergency. I also mash the beans, black or pinto for burritos, chick peas for hummus.

[Gumbo1978]

Agree with the electric pressure cooker suggestion.  Dried pintos to fully cooked in 30 minutes with no soak.  Time savings alone are worth it.