Canned beans used to be my go-to for chili. Not anymore.

I finally switched to dried beans about 3 months ago. The price difference is wild. A 1-pound bag of dried pintos costs me $1.50 at Aldi. That makes about 7 cups cooked. Canned beans run around $1.20 for 1.5 cups. So I'm saving like 80% on beans now. Just gotta remember to soak them the night before. Anyone else make the switch and notice a big difference in your grocery bill?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_spencer26d ago

Read somewhere that dried beans also keep their texture way better in chili since you control the cooking time. Been meaning to try it myself after hearing that.

miles_garcia25d ago

Black beans from dry take about 2.5 hours to get that perfect soft but not mushy bite. Canned ones turn to paste in half that time. I switched last winter and never looked back. Soaking overnight helps but even a quick boil and rest works fine.

ray13625d ago

My buddy Pete made the switch last spring and it backfired HARD. He soaked some pintos overnight, threw them in the slow cooker with his chili early morning, then went to work. Came home 10 hours later to a pot of bean soup basically. They broke down completely and turned everything into this watery mess. He was so mad he went back to canned beans for a month before trying again with a shorter cook time. Now he swears by dried but sets a timer the second they start simmering.