Canned vs. Dry Beans

[Vermin8]

I have a recipe that calls for a 15.5 oz can of white beans. If I want to use dry beans (and hydrate them) what size bag should I get?

 

[Andy M.]

A cup of dry white beans is roughly equal to 2.5 cups of canned. So a one pound bag of beans will give you more than enough.

 

[Vermin8]

Thanks!

 

[mike in brooklyn]

I have a recipe that calls for a 15.5 oz can of white beans. If I want to use dry beans (and hydrate them) what size bag should I get?

I would guess 1/2 pound dried would be greater than 15.5 oz canned

look here Cook's Thesaurus: Dry Beans

 

[vyapti]

a can of beans has about 1 1/2 cups of beans in it, after you drain it.

 

[bethzaring]

for your recipe that calls for 15.5 oz can of white beans, I'm guessing you will want to soak between 1/3 cup up to 1/2 cup dried beans overnight..

 

[Vermin8]

Thanks, everyone. Mike, that Cook's Thesaurus looks like a good reference.

 

[mcnerd]

Interesting that nobody mentioned that canned beans are "cooked." Rehydrated dried beans are not.

 

[Vermin8]

Which means I should count on having to cook the beans longer than I do when I use canned.

 

[Andy M.]

Depending on the recipe, you may want to cook them first, then add them to the recipe after they are partially or fully cooked.

Dry beans require soaking or pre-cooking before adding to a recipe so you can't follow directions meant for canned beans.

 

[mike in brooklyn]

Which means I should count on having to cook the beans longer than I do when I use canned.

I soak dried beans overnight - then, boil them gently until they are tender - you don't want al dente beans.
The boiling may take an hour - depends a lot on what elevation you
live at.

 

[Vermin8]

OK, I take it they should be soft enough to eat before I put into my dish.

 

[Andy M.]

You catch on fast.

 

[Vermin8]

Yeah, I'm a true rocket scientist...

 

[archiduc]

I have a recipe that calls for a 15.5 oz can of white beans. If I want to use dry beans (and hydrate them) what size bag should I get?

Hi Vermin8,

A 15.5 oz can of beans will not contain 15.5 oz of white beans. What is the drained weight? You will find that it is less - probably about 12 oz which is about 6 oz of dried beans before re-hydrating (soaking and cooking).

Usually, dry beans which require re-hydration (soaking in water and cooking before use) will double their weight. Thus 100gm dry weight of raw dried beans will give, after cooking about 200gm of drained cooked beans. IIRC a 15.5 oz can is about equivalent to a 454 gm can, but drained will be much less and the drained weight should be noted on the can. The drained weight might be anything between 320gm-375gms once the water has been drained off!

The dried beans should be soaked overnight in lots of cold water or cover with lots of boiling water and leave for a few hours. Drain the beans, place in a pan with fresh cold water, a bay leaf, a peeled, quartered onion, a couple of cloves and a couple of black peppercorns and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until cooked. cooking times may vary depending upon the type of white bean and the age of the bean - older beans take longer to cook than newer beans. Drain and use in the recipe. Do not salt beans until they are cooked.

Hope this helps,
Archiduc

 

[Dumpandstir]

I am not a fan of beans that are crunchy or too firm. Sorry, I have very few food issues and that is one of them.

I cook with dried beans quite frequently. My solution is to pressure cook them. I cook them at 15 lbs for 10 minutes and they are just like canned at that point. I have a large pressure caner that has served me well.

 

[Vermin8]

Thanks to both of you.

 

[TheMusicalFruit]

Do you mind sharing what you are making with these beans?

 

[Vermin8]

It's a chicken dish I make - I saute some onions, red pepper, and garlic & spices, put in some white beans, beans (I had previously used canned and I just put the contents of the can in), sauteed chicken chunks, and chicken broth, and last put in rice.

 

[corgilover]

When I was looking for info on cooking beans,I came across changing the water every couple of hours reduce the farting.I changed the water every 2-3 hours and beans were soaked in cold water over night.It did reduced farting.

As to cooking method,I made it with crock pot and it was really soft tender and yummy. My dog liked the sample too. It took about 2 hours or so in crock pot.It was black beans.

My fav bean recipe is my re-creating recipe of chipotle's bean. I like visiting restaurant/fast food place and re-create the dish.It is fun.