# Refried beans (canned) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2016, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272 "2016-03-08T11:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/41 "2016-03-09T00:32:57Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I doubt I could tell the difference between yours and Rosarita anyway. Then I agree. Why bother when taste isn’t important? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/42 "2016-03-09T00:47:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oddly enough – and I didn’t look this up before my post above – apparently the current advice is [not to soak beans](http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-dont-soak-dried-beans-20140911-story.html). Well now I’m totally confused. What is the world coming to? :smack: Anyway, I must be using a lower temperature because they do still take a few hours the way I cook them - on the stove top with the burner on the lowest setting. And they come out just fine for my tastes. At least the salting issue is something I’m aware of. I have no idea where the idea that salt toughens beans came from. I’m hard-pressed to even imagine just what tough beans are. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/43 "2016-03-09T01:06:16Z")
Try to cook old beans and you’ll learn! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/44 "2016-03-09T01:26:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Try to cook old beans and you’ll learn! Beat me to it. I’ve had that happen to me at a Super Bowl party a few years back. We cooked those damned things for something like 12 hours and they would not soften at all. Leathery. Inedible. And, from my recollection, we even soaked them overnight. Luckily, about four or five hours in, with no sign of them softening at all, I made the executive decision to make a run to the local Hyvee (we were in Iowa) to buy a few cans of beans and disaster was averted. The extra eight or so hours of cooking (spread over two days) was to see if they would break down at all, and they did not. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/45 "2016-03-09T01:35:50Z")
Pressure cooker - from dried to refried in well under an hour, unless your beans are truly ancient. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/46 "2016-03-09T01:38:52Z")
Seriously though, try milk. I use it when making refried beans from scratch, and it adds a wonderfully velvety richness. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/47 "2016-03-09T02:34:21Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Ditto. > > Fat? You guys are kidding, right? Stuck in the nutritional 80’s are we? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/48 "2016-03-09T02:52:12Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I love refried beans, and usually have them for breakfast with tortillas and salsa. But I only love them when they are molten, smooth, and semi-liquid – and I can’t find a brand that consistently meets this criteria. With Old El Paso and Ortega, it seems to be hit and miss – I put it into a pan on medium low heat, and half the time they get nice and molten/liquid, and half the time they stay the same thick, gummy texture they are when they’re cold. I tried a vegetarian brand, and it was much worse – always gummy. > > Am I doing it wrong? Is there a brand that always gets to that nice molten, semi-liquid texture? I’ve gotten along well with Rosarita brand. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/49 "2016-03-09T03:07:25Z")
> [@Critical1](#): > > embedded music? > > on a web page? > > in 2016? Oops. I always have my sound off, so I didn’t notice.:o The beans are super yummy. Definitely a step up from the canned. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/50 "2016-03-09T16:18:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Are mashed beans Tex-Mex? > Most traditional Mexican restaurants serve beans intact. No… more of a Northern Mexican thing, like flour tortillas and whole pintos cooked charro style. That’s the thing- Mexican cuisine is a lot more varied than people give it credit for. A lot of southern Mexico eats black beans, and they start eating more pintos/pink beans the farther north you go, with the center eating both. Frijoles refritos are more of a special-occasion food than everyday brothy beans. Tex Mex derives from northern Mexican cooking, adapted for American ingredients (not so different than American-Italian stuff in that sense), so it’s not surprising that things like pinto beans, whole or refried would be common. It wouldn’t be any less authentic though for an “authentic” or “traditional” Mexican restaurant to serve whole or refried black beans as it would for whole or refried pintos. Similarly, something like a carne asada is just as authentic as cochinita pibil or squash flower tamales. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/51 "2016-03-09T16:20:37Z")
Tried adding a bit of olive oil this morning, and it worked great – the beans were nice and smooth, and the taste was improved as well. Thanks for all the ideas! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/52 "2016-03-09T16:25:04Z")
Thanks, Bump. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/53 "2016-03-09T16:26:20Z")
Nothing to add except now I’m in the mood to pick up some canned pintos and do my own for little burros tonight. When I do it if I don’t have bacon fat I’ll use Crisco. It’s gotta be a solid fat not a liquid one. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/54 "2016-03-09T17:50:05Z")
Trader Joe’s refried beans are tastier than a lot of store brands, which tend to taste too sweet to me. I’ve known people who add beer to them to make them more liquid. I like to add vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/55 "2016-03-09T19:33:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > No… more of a Northern Mexican thing, like flour tortillas and whole pintos cooked charro style. > > That’s the thing- Mexican cuisine is a lot more varied than people give it credit for. A lot of southern Mexico eats black beans, and they start eating more pintos/pink beans the farther north you go, with the center eating both. Frijoles refritos are more of a special-occasion food than everyday brothy beans. > > Tex Mex derives from northern Mexican cooking, adapted for American ingredients (not so different than American-Italian stuff in that sense), so it’s not surprising that things like pinto beans, whole or refried would be common. > > It wouldn’t be any less authentic though for an “authentic” or “traditional” Mexican restaurant to serve whole or refried black beans as it would for whole or refried pintos. Similarly, something like a carne asada is just as authentic as cochinita pibil or squash flower tamales. Where did you come up with this information? In the first place, boiled beans or what we call _frijoles de la olla_ are commonly found on our tables throughout the country. And there are many different bean varieties to choose from wherever you happen to be here. And frijoles refritos are absolutely not a special occasion food. They are eaten everyday and almost at every meal in many Mexican homes. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/56 "2016-03-09T19:45:09Z")
Has it anything to do with income? My spouse often visited a well to do family when she was in her teens, and I understand never ate refried beans. Large amounts of beans cooked with large amounts of pork, and whole garlic cloves, but not refried. Limes with everything, supposedly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/57 "2016-03-09T20:03:03Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Where did you come up with this information? In the first place, boiled beans or what we call _frijoles de la olla_ are commonly found on our tables throughout the country. And there are many different bean varieties to choose from wherever you happen to be here. And frijoles refritos are absolutely not a special occasion food. They are eaten everyday and almost at every meal in many Mexican homes. Well, I was paraphrasing a Rick Bayless cookbook for most of that, and I think he might have been talking about traditional foods, not necessarily availability. And what’s untrue other than the refried beans aren’t special occasion food? Are black beans traditional in Northern Mexico? Are they more tradtional in say… Yucatan? I wasn’t trying to say that beans aren’t common, but rather that Tex-Mex tends to derive from northern Mexican cooking, and as a result has stuff like pinto beans and flour tortillas which aren’t as traditionally common in other parts of Mexico, and that a “traditional” Mexican restaurant might serve black beans or pintos, refried or boiled and be equally authentic. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/58 "2016-03-09T20:39:01Z")
I had refried black beans a few months back and I’ve been on a kick with them ever since. So good. Like others I add a bit of milk. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/59 "2016-03-10T13:03:44Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > We eat beans in one form or another everyday in our home. A pot of boiled beans can be made into small portions and frozen. They can later be prepared in numerous ways. Making refried beans is quick and easy, 10 minutes maximum. That presupposes you already have the beans around. They’re super easy to make, as long as you’ve already made beans. Hey, would you mind letting everyone know how much rice you eat? Go to a Mexican or a Tex-Mex restaurant anywhere in the world (except Mexico) and they try to fill you up on beans, yellow cheese, and rice. > [@bump](#): > > That’s the thing- Mexican cuisine is a lot more varied than people give it credit for. A lot of southern Mexico eats black beans, and they start eating more pintos/pink beans the farther north you go, with the center eating both. Frijoles refritos are more of a special-occasion food than everyday brothy beans. I’m not sure what pink beans are; I’d call Peruanos white beans, and they seem to be predominant in Guanajuato which is pretty central. The thing about refried beans isn’t that they’re special or not special. They _start out_ as brothy beans, a big pot of them. Tomorrow they’re less brothy. In a couple of days add some oil, and continue to heat them up and serve them until they’re gone. Refried beans are the result of the practical use of a big batch of beans. We’ve imported refried beans as a false friend. They’re not really re-fried; in Spanish the meaning is more like well fried. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272/60 "2016-03-10T14:57:57Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I’m not sure what pink beans are; I’d call Peruanos white beans, and they seem to be predominant in Guanajuato which is pretty central. Pink beans are a somewhat smaller, rounder and less speckled variety of bean which is pretty much interchangeable with pinto beans. Cooked, I doubt anyone can probably tell the difference. Every peruano bean I’ve seen is a yellowish/khaki color. North of the border, white beans typically means either Great Northern, Navy, or possibly cannelloni beans, all of which are very white, and not really yellowish. Peruanos are probably my favorite bean though. And yeah, I know that \*refrito \* doesn’t actually mean “re-fried”, but it’s the term used in English to describe that particular bean dish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/refried-beans-canned/748272.md?page=4)