Bitter Pinto Beans?

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Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby Hal » Mon Nov 21, 2016 12:25 am

So i have made Pinto beans a few times by simply simmering them in a pot in just enough water to keep them immersed for six or so hours, stirring occasionally. They get nice and soft, but they are a bit bitter. Is this normal for home cooked Pinto beans? Home cooked beans in general? Is there a remedy?
:D
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby danmc » Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:33 pm

I see that no one had answered this. I recently made this recipe from Brand New Vegan: http://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/vegan-soup-beans
and they are awesome. Take time, but I did on a Saturday and they're just about the best beans I've ever tasted.

Dan
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby Spiral » Tue Jan 17, 2017 4:42 pm

Hal wrote:So i have made Pinto beans a few times by simply simmering them in a pot in just enough water to keep them immersed for six or so hours, stirring occasionally. They get nice and soft, but they are a bit bitter. Is this normal for home cooked Pinto beans? Home cooked beans in general? Is there a remedy?
:D

I think the remedy is to boil the beans for at least 10 minutes. If you eat beans that have never been boiled, you risk getting sick when you eat them, especially kidney beans.
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby AlwaysAgnes » Tue Jan 17, 2017 5:58 pm

I don't remember ever making pinto beans that tasted bitter, though I've cooked old beans a time or two that probably just weren't worth eating. Maybe try again with new beans? If bean age isn't the culprit, perhaps it's the water. Hard water? Or the seasonings. Bitter spices or herbs? Sometimes smoked paprika seems a bit bitter. Maybe that's just me. 8)

For pintos (and many other dry beans) I usually use the quick soak method. Sort through beans to remove bad beans and stones, rinse well, cover in pot with water a good way above beans, bring to boil, cook a few minutes, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit one hour. Drain and rinse beans. Cook beans with fresh water. I like to tell myself this helps with the gas. Did I mention my middle name is GAS? (Great Northern and Navy beans are super gas-producing fools. Pintos are bad enough, I guess.)

These days I typically cook pinto beans in my instant pot (at least once a week). I saute some onion in the instant pot. To that I add the soaked pinto beans along with water. For 3 cups (dry) pintos, I use 4 cups water to cook them after soaking. (For less soupy beans, cut that back to 3 1/2 cups water. Whatever, you want to at least cover the beans.) I add minced garlic and spices (no-salt sazon spice blend, cumin, Mexican oregano, liquid smoke); now and then I might add a sprig of epazote if I have it. I usually set to cook for 8 or 9 minutes at pressure. You might set it for less if you like firmer beans. After 20 minutes, I open and add salt. Most times I put the instant pot on saute after this to cook out extra water and make beans very soft. If beans are at a texture I like but are too soupy, I spoon out some of the liquid and reserve. I puree the beans in the pot with an immersion blender stick. I can use the broth I spooned out if the puree seems to dry.

They say the spice cumin is slightly bitter, but I like it. Maybe I'm just bitter. :duh:

Also, accidentally scorching beans might make them taste bitter. Just sayin'...

8)
You don't have to wait to be happy.
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby Hal » Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:28 pm

Oh hey, thanks, guys. I'll give these ideas a try. I've been buying a lot of canned salt free black beans and kidney beans instead, but since beans are a staple, i should go out and buy a slow cooker, and make beans in large batches.
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby danmc » Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:44 am

I think that a slow cooker is a great investment. They're not that expensive. I live alone and I cooked a big batch of the soup beans last Saturday and then packaged them in single-serving sized container and froze them, and have been eating them all week.

I also have a pressure cooker, but I've found that if I have the time food cooked in a slow cooker seems to taste better to me.
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby Bkworm » Fri Jan 20, 2017 1:32 pm

In my experience of 55 years of preparing meals, some dried beans just have no flavor. Over the years, I have tried all the methods listed plus cooking in a slow cooker for hours on end. I have a black bean and rice recipe plus Mary McDougall's Burrito recipe made with pinto beans. With both, I cook 2 lbs of dried beans. Sometimes they turn out fantastic and some times no matter how much spice I add to them, the beans are flat tasting and/or bitter. Also over the years have tried many, many different brands of dried beans. If the beans aren't good going in the pot, they aren't going to be good once they are cooked. Have also thought it might be the age of the beans, but you can only purchase what the stores carry.

I cook 2 lbs of most types of dried beans in my slow cooker with absolute no seasoning. I put them in 2-cup containers and freeze for future use in recipes. if the beans are good, you can eat them right out of the pot without adding anything to them. Never realized just how different each type of legume tastes until starting this WOE. Each bean/legume has its own distinct flavor. When the beans have no flavor after cooking in the slow cooker, I mark those containers and only use them in soups and stews, never in the recipes that call for lots of beans, such as spreads or salads. I prepare the pintos for Mary McDougall's burritos in the slow cooker. The black beans for the black beans and rice are sometimes cooked in the slow cooker and sometimes on the stove top, just depends on how much time I have that day.

Have heard putting a bit of baking soda in the soaking water helps cut bitterness and the problem with gas. However, that has never seemed to work for me.
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Re: Bitter Pinto Beans?

Postby indy107 » Tue Feb 21, 2017 11:52 am

danmc wrote:I see that no one had answered this. I recently made this recipe from Brand New Vegan: http://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/vegan-soup-beans
and they are awesome. Take time, but I did on a Saturday and they're just about the best beans I've ever tasted.

Dan


Thanks Dan! Glad you enjoyed them!
For tons of healthy Plant-Based, McDougall Friendly Recipes, check out my blog at :

https://www.brandnewvegan.com.
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