Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I see ya wazent sleepin', only composin'

I tend to get verbose when my passion runs high...
Lest we forget IIJMOIFCOWC!

Note to Gerard...we (OK I ) have a lot of fun with this issue...until good ol' Jim's recent complete, unconditional, surrender we had battled this issue for about seven years.

Some righteous causes are worth battle to the death.

Keep on cookin'

I've only ever used dried beans once, to make a chickpea salad and that was years ago. I didn't notice any huge difference from canned and don't think they were much cheaper, if at all, when factoring in my time and the gas on the stove.
Are they really that much better than canned?

I thought I had posted a reply but do not see it on the thread. So, in the spirit of better redundant than remiss, here's another post.

First thanks for the bean soaking recommendations. It actually did help knowing the upper time limit (on the counter vs. the refrigerator) as the preparation got started late and took longer than anticipated.

As for the chili - it was very good but very labor intensive (i.e. 25 ingredients). We actually doubled the recipe (using two dutch ovens, rather than cooking everything in one) - which went well. All I can say was that I used just about every large pot and pan that I had at some point during the day.

I think we started making chili at 4 and sat down at 10. That said, the chili was intense... and I mean intense. The flavors were powerful and Kenji accomplished his goal of making this have very meaty flavor. The chili puree created by blending toasted freshly ground spices (star anise, cumin, coriander seed, cloves), along with toasted dried peppers and a variety of other ingredients that increased the umami factor (tomato paste, soy sauce, anchovies, marmite) was unbelievable. That it included chocolate and freshly ground coffee beans didn't hurt either.

I'm not a chili expert so I can't say whether it was the best or not. It certainly was very good - and I suspect will be better tonight, after it's had some time to refrigerate overnight.

Thanks to all who helped me out with the bean soaking question!

Gerard

I have never done a side by side taste test, but I tend to follow recipes and do not shy away from dried beans if the recipe calls for them.

In his Food Lab: How To Make The Best Chili Ever, Kenji states:


Next time I cook some dried beans, I may open up a can as well to see if I can discern the "relative lack of flavor" Kenji mentions.

thanks Jim. I should add that I do cook lentls from dried, and have added dried split peas to a pot of ham soup, but as for starting with dried, I always just sub in the equivalent canned amount. In a lot on instances its a timing thing but if I thought it was worth it I might try to find the time.

Not cheaper? Where are you buying dried beans?

That may be the issue. I got the chickpeas that one time from the bulk store. Typically staples other than spices are more expensive there but handy if you only want a small amount. I pay around 90 cents for a can of beans (on sale) that has 2 cups of beans in the can, so to my thinking a bag of dried beans that has 4 cups or so in it (cooking up to 8 cups) has to be under 2 bucks to be a deal when factoring in time/stove usage. And I'm not seeing that even in the cheaper grocery stores. Then again I haven't looked all that closely in a while, will check it out this week.

Actually, that sounds about right. I usually pay about $2-$3 per pound for beans (depending on the bean). That's about 2 cups dried or 4 cups cooked. The few beans I do buy in cans run about $1 per 15 oz. can.