No, they really aren't fried twice.
October 26, 2009 12:11 PM Subscribe
I come from California. Can you help me find good canned refried beans in Toronto? Specifics inside...
Yes, Toronto has insane amounts of choices, and brilliant restaurants, and things like INDUSTRIAL SIZED Cheez Whiz containers (which, quite honestly unnerve me a bit, because who eats that? You know, not that I am one to judge...as you'll see). While there are one or two restaurants I miss from my old home of San Diego, they are vastly outnumbered by the new ones I have found here. Plus - poutine! Who can beat that for comfort food?
Yet I miss certain things. While I do have friends who can visit and bring me the odd bag of candy corn or other small (and light) items, there are things no one will bring for the weight they'd add. Canned goods, for example. More specifically, Rosarita refried beans. I grew up making burritos with these. Dipping chips in them, making tostadas using them to magically hold the beef and cheese on the shell. The refried beans we have tried, so far, have fallen well short of the mark. Herdez and Old El Paso, for example, look like someone has blended the beans into a tasteless greyish-brown paste.
Barring someone magically finding a US grocer here in Toronto, and them actually HAVING Rosarita refried beans, has anyone here on mefi eaten them - and can they recommend a similar product available here? I'd be fine ordering them online, and paying duties, if the shipping wasn't horribly extravagant. While I do love my refried beans, I'm far from wealthy enough to say things like "Money is no object!"
I know, it's a long shot. My next step, I reckon, is looking at recipes.
Yes, Toronto has insane amounts of choices, and brilliant restaurants, and things like INDUSTRIAL SIZED Cheez Whiz containers (which, quite honestly unnerve me a bit, because who eats that? You know, not that I am one to judge...as you'll see). While there are one or two restaurants I miss from my old home of San Diego, they are vastly outnumbered by the new ones I have found here. Plus - poutine! Who can beat that for comfort food?
Yet I miss certain things. While I do have friends who can visit and bring me the odd bag of candy corn or other small (and light) items, there are things no one will bring for the weight they'd add. Canned goods, for example. More specifically, Rosarita refried beans. I grew up making burritos with these. Dipping chips in them, making tostadas using them to magically hold the beef and cheese on the shell. The refried beans we have tried, so far, have fallen well short of the mark. Herdez and Old El Paso, for example, look like someone has blended the beans into a tasteless greyish-brown paste.
Barring someone magically finding a US grocer here in Toronto, and them actually HAVING Rosarita refried beans, has anyone here on mefi eaten them - and can they recommend a similar product available here? I'd be fine ordering them online, and paying duties, if the shipping wasn't horribly extravagant. While I do love my refried beans, I'm far from wealthy enough to say things like "Money is no object!"
I know, it's a long shot. My next step, I reckon, is looking at recipes.
Best answer: I suffered a similar fate even with the variety of refrieds available in NYC - turns out making them yourself is so much tastier I gave up the canned varieties entirely.
It can be crazy easy if you have a slow cooker. I use a variation on this recipe. Stove-top it's pretty simple as well, you just don't have the convenience of being able to walk away for a day.
posted by abulafa at 12:18 PM on October 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
It can be crazy easy if you have a slow cooker. I use a variation on this recipe. Stove-top it's pretty simple as well, you just don't have the convenience of being able to walk away for a day.
posted by abulafa at 12:18 PM on October 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
Amazon's got your back, in (reasonable) bulk.
posted by disillusioned at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by disillusioned at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2009
Amazon.com doesn't ship to Canada.
I've lived in CA and liked the Rosarita okay, but it doesn't gall me to use the President's Choice brand here. Have you tried the PC? Not remarkable, but really quite okay... But what you want to look for is a Latin grocer, not a US one.
posted by kmennie at 12:53 PM on October 26, 2009
I've lived in CA and liked the Rosarita okay, but it doesn't gall me to use the President's Choice brand here. Have you tried the PC? Not remarkable, but really quite okay... But what you want to look for is a Latin grocer, not a US one.
posted by kmennie at 12:53 PM on October 26, 2009
Might you find these in Buffalo? If you have a car, it's a short and easy trip.
posted by yawper at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by yawper at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2009
Best answer: try doctoring up what you can find. drain and rinse a can of pinto beans. add the whole beans to the can of refried beans together in a sauce pan with some hot sauce or salsa and heat. much better than just the refried alone.
posted by domino at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by domino at 12:56 PM on October 26, 2009
Best answer: I think you might be able to find Rosarita brand at one of the stores in Kensington market. There are two stores on Augusta south of Nassau that might have it. Worth a look, and if you ask the staff there I'm sure they'll offer a suggestion.
Also, they are one of the few places in town to get epazote.
posted by nprigoda at 1:23 PM on October 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, they are one of the few places in town to get epazote.
posted by nprigoda at 1:23 PM on October 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Yes, make your own. An onion, a can of red pinto beans (rinsed and drained) and some chili powder are all you need. It doesn't take much more effort than heating canned refried beans on the stove. What's that hot sauce with the little wood ball on top? If you have some of that available that really enhances the beans.
posted by caddis at 1:31 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by caddis at 1:31 PM on October 26, 2009
Yea, kensington market has 3 little mexican groceries to try - if they don't have the brand you're looking for, try San Marcos refried beans with chipotle (comes in a blue tin) - those are my fave
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:33 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:33 PM on October 26, 2009
Response by poster: Well, I'm feeling much less disheartened about this. Thanks, all of you, for the tips so far. I will look into making my own. It looks simpler than I expected, honestly. Adding the seasonings I want appeals to me - and we do have a slow cooker. I'll try Kensington, too.
posted by routergirl at 1:57 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by routergirl at 1:57 PM on October 26, 2009
Best answer: I always made them myself from a can of kidney beans - even for a lazy-ass cook like myself they're simple as heck: empty can into pan, add salt and pepper, mush 'em and shuffle them around in the pan like scrambled eggs.
Find out what kind of beans Rosarito made them from and see if you can get duplicate them.
posted by Billegible at 2:03 PM on October 26, 2009
Find out what kind of beans Rosarito made them from and see if you can get duplicate them.
posted by Billegible at 2:03 PM on October 26, 2009
[Sorry, this is a side comment but you mention your friends visiting and bringing you candy corn from the States. Just in case you didn't know, it's definitely available in Toronto, usually in bulk food stores!]
posted by Kirjava at 5:53 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by Kirjava at 5:53 PM on October 26, 2009
What's that hot sauce with the little wood ball on top?Cholula
posted by sideshow at 10:42 PM on October 26, 2009
posted by sideshow at 10:42 PM on October 26, 2009
Best answer: What's that hot sauce with the little wood ball on top?Cholula
Yes, now that I am home that is it. It makes refried beans shine, and when you are making a similar dish with black beans it really sings. Don't use a slow cooker, that will turn them to mush. Saute the onions in a frying pan, add the drained beans and spice on lowish heat. Stir to your level of mush, which for me is fairly low, I like the beans rather intact. After the onions have softened, and you add the beans it is only a few minutes to heat the beans. Mash a few, but leave most of them intact, or leave it to your own taste. The whole process is like ten minutes.
posted by caddis at 12:07 AM on October 27, 2009
Yes, now that I am home that is it. It makes refried beans shine, and when you are making a similar dish with black beans it really sings. Don't use a slow cooker, that will turn them to mush. Saute the onions in a frying pan, add the drained beans and spice on lowish heat. Stir to your level of mush, which for me is fairly low, I like the beans rather intact. After the onions have softened, and you add the beans it is only a few minutes to heat the beans. Mash a few, but leave most of them intact, or leave it to your own taste. The whole process is like ten minutes.
posted by caddis at 12:07 AM on October 27, 2009
Your slow cooker must be much hotter than mine caddis - if I want them mushed in the slightest, I have to do so by hand even after slow-cooking. (I'm usually using Goya brand dry Pintos, not canned of course). I just like the way a coarsely chopped onion slowly carmelizes into them over an 8 hour cook - really enhances the flavor when I later pan-fry them.
To each their own, of course.
posted by abulafa at 8:38 AM on October 27, 2009
To each their own, of course.
posted by abulafa at 8:38 AM on October 27, 2009
I'm sorry to hear that, routergirl, Cali to TO? Yikes.
After visiting Cali years ago, I got on the burrito train. God I love 'em. Can you leave us your recipe, please? Mine may not be exactly autentico.
I'm familiar with the Herdez and Old paso, that's why I was making my own and didn't think to find good ones in a can....
There's a Mexican grocery store on Dufferin St., east side, South of Bloor Street. Don't know which brand of refried beans they carry, but they have dried chipotle and all kinds of other dried chillies. I believe all their labels are from Mexico.
They have another store at 1040 St. Clair West, called La Tortilleria, 647-344-2429, call them and ask. The Dufferin street store folks don't speak too much English, hope your Spanish is good.
posted by alicesshoe at 1:09 AM on October 28, 2009
After visiting Cali years ago, I got on the burrito train. God I love 'em. Can you leave us your recipe, please? Mine may not be exactly autentico.
I'm familiar with the Herdez and Old paso, that's why I was making my own and didn't think to find good ones in a can....
There's a Mexican grocery store on Dufferin St., east side, South of Bloor Street. Don't know which brand of refried beans they carry, but they have dried chipotle and all kinds of other dried chillies. I believe all their labels are from Mexico.
They have another store at 1040 St. Clair West, called La Tortilleria, 647-344-2429, call them and ask. The Dufferin street store folks don't speak too much English, hope your Spanish is good.
posted by alicesshoe at 1:09 AM on October 28, 2009
Following up on alicesshoe, there is another store called Latin Grocery or something, not too far east of Landsdowne on Bloor -- it might be worth trying there as well?
posted by girlpublisher at 10:49 AM on October 31, 2009
posted by girlpublisher at 10:49 AM on October 31, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by routergirl at 12:16 PM on October 26, 2009