Most recipes that use canned beans tell you to drain and rinse them before adding the beans to the dish. I’ve noticed that the great chef and teacher Jacques Pépin might drain the beans, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him rinse them and then more times than not he ends up adding the drained liquid back to the pot anyway. What is the thinking behind draining and rinsing beans?
FAQs
Advice | You asked: Should I rinse canned beans? ›
Do You Need To Rinse Canned Beans? According to The Bean Institute, you can reduce up to 41 percent of the sodium in canned beans by rinsing them. "It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states.
Is it okay to use the liquid from canned beans? ›The liquid in good canned beans is just the water and salt the beans were cooked in… filled with delicious bean flavor. And this liquid is a great thickener for not only the specific dish you're making at the moment, but for any dish that could use some thickening, some salt, and some bean flavor.
Can you eat beans straight from the can? ›The reason that beans are safe to eat straight from the can is pretty simple: They're already cooked. Per Epicurious, beans are blanched before being canned with water, salt, and other additives, and then sealed and cooked under steam pressure at a high temperature before landing at your local grocery store.
Does rinsing canned beans reduce sodium? ›The practices of both draining and draining/rinsing canned beans can effectively reduce the amount of sodium from that contained in the product as purchased. All brands and all varieties of canned beans tested demonstrated reductions in sodium content per serving after draining and draining and rinsing.
Do I need to soak canned beans? ›No. Soaking them reduces cooking time somewhat (this can be especially important with beans that have been sitting in your pantry for a year or longer), but cooking without soaking may result in better flavor (interesting article on this topic here).
What happens if you don't rinse canned beans? ›"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.
Is the water in a can of beans safe? ›People keep saying “aquafaba” but that's just a fancy word for bean water. The water from the canned beans can be used as an egg substitute in other recipes. Shocked at how many people rinse beans. I strain a little of the juice out, but i like to keep all the water-soluble nutrients.
Should you rinse canned beans for chili? ›Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.
Are canned beans as healthy as dried beans? ›Ultimately though, if you look through all the literature, here is what it boils down to: Despite slight differences, most studies agree that both home-cooked dry beans and canned beans are very healthful choices.
How to get sodium out of canned beans? ›Rinsing beans after they are drained ensures that all residual sodium adhering to the bean's surface is removed and results in the highest reduction. All brands and all classes of beans tested demonstrated significant reductions in sodium by either draining or draining and rinsing.
Does rinsing beans make them less gassy? ›
How do you stop beans from giving you gas? Soak dried beans for at least eight hours or overnight before cooking to reduce the number of indigestible sugars which cause gas. Rinse canned beans thoroughly and consider adding foods naturally high in digestive enzymes in your cooking to aid digestion.
Should canned tuna be rinsed? ›Canned foods in particular usually contain high levels of sodium. One way to reduce your salt intake with canned food, like tuna for example, is washing. Studies show that rinsing reduces the amount of sodium in canned tuna by 80%.
Why do recipes say to rinse canned beans? ›One of the primary reasons for draining and rinsing canned beans, or any canned food, is to remove some of the excess salt.
How to prepare beans from a can? ›- Drain the beans. ...
- Heat oil in a saucepan. ...
- Add beans to saucepan and simmer. ...
- Season to taste. ...
- Remove from heat.
Sprinkle in some baking soda
As it turns out, baking soda significantly decreases the levels of raffinose, the gas-causing sugar present in beans. When should you add baking soda to beans? It works best with just a pinch (about 1/16 of a teaspoon) sprinkled into dried beans while they soak in water before cooking.
"It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states. "A 2009 study conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, showed that draining beans removes, on average, 36 percent of the sodium in canned beans.
What to do with leftover bean liquid? ›But if you have excess bean broth, use it to cook more beans or lentils, thicken soups, season and drink like bone broth or add to quick breads and doughs. When I have it, I use rich, unsalted black bean broth in place of water for my sourdough discard chocolate cake—yum! Bean broth also freezes well.
Is the water from cooking beans good for you? ›What's more, leftover bean water contains lots of proteins and is low in calories. The type most commonly used in vegan recipes is leftover from cooking chickpeas or white beans because it has the most neutral taste.
Should I discard water after soaking beans? ›Fun Fact: Discarding the soaking water and rinsing beans can help make cooked beans more digestible. Some people choose to save the soaking liquid because some nutrients are leeched from the beans into the liquid during soaking. We prefer to drain our soaking liquid but you can decide what works best for you.