# Have you ever had baked beans that didn't come out of a can? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473 "2005-06-16T01:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473/41 "2005-06-17T02:41:08Z")
I’ve had the kind you buy frozen. Okay, more in the spirit of the question, I have had baked beans made from scratch. The sauce was better but the beans were hard. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473/42 "2005-06-17T03:59:53Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Astonishingly, **Anne Neville’s** vegetarian recipe (post #28) does not mention soaking and apparently requires only 30 minutes of cooking! Are we talking about the same vegetable?! Far as I know. I never soak beans, because that requires too much advance planning. I’ve heard that unsoaked beans produce more gas, but I don’t care enough to plan that far ahead when I want to make beans. You can certainly use canned beans to start with. That’s what I usually do, for baked beans and for chili. It’ll still be better than canned baked beans. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473/43 "2005-06-17T13:06:22Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :eek: I never imagined baked-beans-from-scratch would involve the kind of time commitment you put into roasting a turkey! > > **silenus’** recipe (post #5) requires overnight soaking (no surprise there, if you start with dried beans), 1 hour standing, 1 hour simmering, 5-7 hours of baking. > > **Trunk’s** recipe (post #20) requires overnight soaking and 5-7 hours of cooking. > > **honeydewgrrl’s** recipe (post #23) requires soaking and cooking “most of the day.” > > **Labdad’s** recipe (post #26) requires 5 to 5-1/2 hours of baking (soaking not mentioned, but I infer it’s necessary). > > **GingerOfTheNorth’s** recipe (post #32) requires 7 to 8 hours of backing (soaking not mentioned). > > **kittenblue’s** recipe (post #37) requires overnight soaking and 3-6 hours of baking. > > Astonishingly, **Anne Neville’s** vegetarian recipe (post #28) does not mention soaking and apparently requires only 30 minutes of cooking! Are we talking about the same vegetable?! Soaking beans overnight and baking them for 5-7 hours doesn’t require a time committment. Here’s a hint: you don’t have to actually WATCH the beans soak. **Anne** is using beans from a can, like black beans or pinto beans like you’d put in chili. You can avoid soaking beans by “par-boiling” them. You boil them for an hour or so, and then pick up one of the recipes from the “post-soaking” part. Also, keep in mind when you’re cooking beans for 5-7 hours, the smell of baking food fills the house. That’s part of the joy of cooking, not the hassle of cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473/44 "2005-06-17T14:34:09Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > **Labdad’s** recipe (post #26) requires 5 to 5-1/2 hours of baking (soaking not mentioned, but I infer it’s necessary). No - soaking isn’t necessary, just bring it to boil and then place in over. But yes - slow baking for 5 to 5-1/2 hours is absolutely necessary. That’s what makes them baked beans! ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473/45 "2005-06-17T14:52:10Z")
They’re standard fare at barbeque joints. Usually nothing to write home about, IMO; better off with Bush’s. But I once had some at a cookout in Wyoming that were unbelievably good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-had-baked-beans-that-didnt-come-out-of-a-can/308473.md?page=2)