My Brilliant Hack for Making Canned Beans Taste As Good as a Restaurant (2024)

FAQs

My Brilliant Hack for Making Canned Beans Taste As Good as a Restaurant? ›

Halve and thinly slice a small onion, then cook in a small saucepan over high heat with a tablespoon or two of the fat of your choice — bacon fat, schmaltz, butter, and olive oil are all great options. Fry the onions until they are softened and crispy in spots. Add the beans.

You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.

While lard has been replaced with vegetable oil or shortening in many households, the distinct richness and velvety texture it imparts to a skillet of refried beans is hard to beat. The closest substitute for lard is bacon grease, which is another form of rendered pork fat that's arguably even more flavorful.

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan. To finish, toss in a pinch of espresso powder for an extra hit of earthy flavor.

Dried beans cooked with sea salt and water are delicious, but adding an onion, garlic, or other aromatics to the pot will make them even more flavorful!

Bump up the flavor with tomato paste

Remember your old friend tomato paste? It's great to add into beans. Throw in a dollop or two to the aromatics once they've cooked, and sauté in the hot fat for a minute or two, just to cook out the tinny flavor. Harissa paste also works nicely for this.

When we tested this, the beans cooked in the soaking liquid were much more flavorful, had a prettier, darker color, and had a more pleasant texture. Takeaway: You don't have to soak your beans; but if you do, cook the beans in their soaking liquid. Myth 3: If you don't soak overnight, you should at least quick-soak.

Black and pinto beans' flavor is pretty moderate and not overpowering. They are both fairly creamy as well. Black beans are slightly more similar to meat, so they can work well as a meat substitute. Ultimately, we love both types of beans, but everyone will have their own flavor preference!

Is freshly ground coffee better quality? The most obvious reason for grinding your own coffee beans is freshness. Coffee that has been ground from whole beans has already started to subside in flavour compared to whole beans. If you're grinding your own, you know it's fresh because you just made it.

What can I add to a can of refried beans to make them better? ›

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

One of the most common beans to be serve in a lot of Mexican dishes is refried beans. You can find both black and pinto refried beans. However, pinto beans are the most common. Even though they are called refried beans, they are not fried.

As you are mashing, add a small amount of milk –- a half cup or so -– to the beans and stir it in. This addition makes the bean mixture looser and softer. Think about when you add milk or cream to mashed potatoes.

One of the primary reasons for draining and rinsing canned beans, or any canned food, is to remove some of the excess salt.

Add a few flavor enhancers and dinner is served! Drain and rinse the beans (remember, that's optional). Place a pot on the stove and set to low or medium heat. Add fat (olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, butter - whatever you prefer to cook with) and natural flavor enhancers like garlic, onions, and tomatoes.

Finally, stir in 2 tablespoons of light or dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper. And don't forget your bacon; crumble it right into the beans.

Pour the beans directly into the pot and season for how you plan to use them. Allow it to simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue to stir and heat beans until they reach the desired temperature and consistency, about 5-10 minutes.

Use aromatics, like onion, garlic, and herbs, in your cooking liquid—they'll transform any pot of beans into something far more flavorful. Oh, and don't worry about making too many beans at once.