Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with beans

Yet another "should I eat this?": black beans

k. — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:33:13 -0800

Should I Eat This? Filter: cooked black beans left in a pot overnight. Yesterday I was waiting for the pot to cool before putting it in the fridge, then forgot about it, leaving it there (with the cover on) until this morning when I put it in the fridge. There are no meat ingredients.

Running out of beans, in my head.

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:07:02 -0800

Datingfilter: Did I just get blown off? Yes, there's more bean platiness to this. Several weeks ago I was enjoying a beer on a sunny Friday afternoon with my friend 'Dave' at a local brewery. We ran into his friend 'Jane' who then joined our table. Over the course of the conversation I realized that I was attracted to Jane but made no attempt to do anything about it (burnt out on dating, or lack thereof). We talked about music, upcoming concerts and such.

The following week, Dave and I carpooled to a free outdoor concert and Jane joined us (same concert we had talked about). We spent the whole day together, talked about many things, but I still did not consider making a move on her. Post concert (2-3 days later) she sends me an email saying that she enjoyed the day and that we (not all three of us) should do something like this again. I agreed, pitched the idea for a show at the end of the month. she seemed excited.

A week later I organize a meeting (work related), which Jane hears about (via an email list) and says she would come because it sounds exciting. Post meeting we go out for beers, and several hours later dinner, then back to her place where we makeout, talk, and just spend the whole night together. In the morning she files back east to see her family for a week.

For a moment I thought this just happened because we were somewhat drunk but there were other indications. She delayed her ride to the airport so she could spend more time with me. At least two times she said that she was bummed not to be able to spend the day with me.

Great, I'm excited. Can't wait to see her when she's back. We exchanged a couple of brief text messages after she got home but I didn't say/do much after that to not seem very eager.

3 days later I get a flirty text. So now I'm excited, (Hey she really does like me, and didn't chalk that night up to a drunken encounter. yay!). We exchange several messages over the week. I make her a mix (like we had talked about). She seems stoked. The night before she returns, she says something like Coming home tomorrow! Packing now, rather than last minute like last time ;)

I replied looking forward to seeing you. That's it.

From then on I get no reply from her. She flew home Tuesday and not a word from her. This is where I get all beanplatey in my head:

a) Did I freak her out by saying that?
b) Perhaps the message didn't go through, but it shows up as sent and I have no reason to believe otherwise.

So I figure I will give it a few days before acting on it. I saw her today, very unexpectedly. We literally ran into each other as she was walking out of the restroom. She said hey...um..I have to get back to my meeting (which is true, she did have a meeting then). What now?

Do I just leave this awkward like so for every future interaction?

My usual thoughts run like this:

Ah I guess she realized that she's not into me. Last thing I want to do is to freak her out more by getting pushy. I will just back off and let this go.

Another part of me says Hey stupid. That's what you always do. Why not call her and talk to her?

So what do I do? Respect her wish not to pursue this anymore (for whatever reasons)?

lazy cook and lazy math

Jason and Laszlo — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:49:16 -0800

dried beans --> canned beans conversion my recipe calls for 1/2 lb of dried white beans. I will be using canned beans. How many cans/ounces of canned beans do i need? thanks!

Canning season is here - we need advice on how to keep our pickled veggies crunchy!

pghjezebel — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:31:19 -0800

Canning season is here - we need advice on how to keep our pickled veggies crunchy! Mom and I are gearing up for our yearly canning weekend. Last years batch was a huge success (taste-wise) but our veggies weren't as crunchy as we would have liked them to be.

What tips can you give us on making our veggies as crunchy as possible? (And any tried and true recipes that you love are welcome as well - the stronger the kick the better!)

We're going to be doing:
Cauliflower, celery and carrots
Garlicky dilly beans
Pickles (if we have the time)

Let's talk about moong daal, baby.

Muffpub — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:40:02 -0800

What do I do with two pounds of moong daal that's been sitting in my refrigerator for three months? I'm a hopeless cooking noob on a budget, and I can't really grasp what this stuff even is. A lot of you are probably rolling your eyes at this parade of stupid questions, but my cooking expertise consists of chopping up hot dogs and putting them in rudimentary stews. Google has failed me on *all* of these questions, which makes this new scary ingredient even scarier.

1. What exactly is this stuff? These small yellow beans(?) look a lot more like these yellow split peas than like these green mung beans and this recipe was one of the first things that came up when I googled "moong daal". The second result is the wikipedia for mung beans. Huh?

2. After three months (at least) in the fridge, is this stuff even still good? There's no information on the packaging at all except "moong daal" and "keep refrigerated", and they were gifted to me by a friend when she moved. I guess a more pertinent question would be, once they're open, do I have to use them up quickly?

3. OK, so what do I do with it? I guess the mung bean vs. split pea question will clear this up and allow me to follow recipes on the internet, but feel free to offer any cheap, simple, easy fun recipes you might have. I have garlic, cumin and tumeric on hand but I can't afford tons of fresh ingredients. I mean, a tomato and a ginger root, sure, but nothing beyond my elementary budget and skill level please. What recipes do you like? (Bonus points for flexible recipes that would allow me to throw in ingredients I know, like spinach or celery, but I know this may be asking too much...)

Thanks everyone!

I thought of a really bad pun on the word "bean," but I guess I can spare you.

synecdoche — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:32:21 -0800

Why do cans of beans usually come in 19 fluid ounce cans in Canada, and 15 ounce cans in the US? Whenever I see American recipes that call for a can of beans, they list the can size at 15 or 15.5 ounces. All the cans I get in Ontario (and did in BC) were 19 liquid ounces. After asking on a foodie forum, I also learned that in the US, beans often include a weight in grams; my can also has a volume in millilitres. I'm curious as to why they do things differently and if my 19 fluid ounce can contains approximately the same quantity of beans as an American's 15.5 ounce can. (Note that I do not have easy access to an American can to check.)

I think that canned tomatoes might also vary between the countries, but I'm not certain. A typical can here is 19 liquid ounces.

Why should I throw out the floating beans?

evhan — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:54:44 -0800

Quite a few times in recipes I've seen directions to put beans in water and discard any that float after a period of soaking (I've even heard this from you, AskMeFi). Now, I like beans. My question is: why can't I eat those?

Can zucchini and butternut be grown in the same patch?

Jupiter Jones — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:04:10 -0800

I am trying to plant a traditional Three Sisters garden for the first time - corn, beans & squash in the same location as companion plants. Can I put two varieties of squash (yellow zucchini and butternut) in the same planting? I'd like to plant butternut squash and yellow zucchini. I want to conserve space in the garden a bit, as squashes are monsters, so I'd like to be able to incorporate both into the three sisters garden. From looking around I think that it should be ok because summer squashes (like zucchini) are cucurbita pepo and butternut is Cucurbita moschata. So, assuming they won't cross-pollinate, will they be alright in the same space? I'd like to get decent crops of both, and it would suck if they prevented each other from growing.

How long can I keep soaked beans?

TigerCrane — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:29:59 -0800

I soaked some beans, and then put them in a tupperware in the fridge. How long will they hold this way?

Salty beans?

frwagon — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:20:11 -0800

Savory, salty black beans in take out Chinese food... how do they do it? Just had some chinese food the other night (black bean chicken), and the black beans in the recipe had a salty, smoky taste.. very very good. I've never had black beans that have that taste to them before. How would I reproduce that at home?

What was the purple speckled bean I saw in Tamil Nadu, India?

aussicht — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:00:22 -0800

When I lived in Chennai, the produce markets had these large fava-sized/shaped beans that were bright purple and white. They were fresh. Sometimes they came in large similarly colored pods, other times there were shelled. They were edible fresh, though we steamed them for sanitation. They were some of the best beans I've ever had, and reminded me more of fresh pea pods than beans, despite their large size. Any clue what they were?

Looking for cold recipes with legumes.

HotPatatta — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:36:21 -0800

Please share your cold recipes for salads, succotashes, and soups featuring lentils, split peas, and other legumes. Especially appreciated are recipes relatively low in calories, carbs, and fat.

Tuna recipe from Italy?

Ollie — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:41:54 -0800

I recall eating a meal in Italy that I THINK was just rice, canned tuna, and white beans drizzled in olive oil. Is this a real "dish"? I've put those four ingredients together and it doesn't taste the same. And it's a really monochromatic meal. Anyone have any thoughts on the "real" dish, or if not, how to spice up the one I remember? It was in Parma.

How much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is it necessary to buy organic?

mintchip — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:45:41 -0800

How much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is it necessary to buy organic? I recall reading that it's more important to buy certain organic for specific fruits and vegetables, since some are more likely to contain pesticide residue than others.

I drink a great deal of coffee, and I love my fair trade organic beans. However, I could save a lot of money buy buying nonorganic. However, I'm a bit of a health nut. So what I'm wondering is, how much pesticide residue is there in coffee? Is this one of those cases where it's important to buy organic?

Help me to not overthink a plate of beans (and rice)

availablelight — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:11 -0800

Rice and beans for the inexperienced and time-pressed cook? I have a 5 pound bag of (non-instant) rice. I have an assortment of bags of dried beans (a pound of kidney beans, a pound of black beans, a pound of navy beans, etc.). Am I imagining this, or is there a way to prepare a one-shot, one-pot/dish batch of rice and beans in the oven? (I do know that the beans will have to be pre-soaked, but that's about all I know-- my experience with dried beans is limited to including them in a long-simmering soup or stew--I've had bad experiences with bags o'beans in other situations)

I have other potential add-ins like spices, tomato sauce, veggies, etc.

Can dried lentils go bad?

ilovermontmeta — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:24:30 -0800

Do dried lentils go bad? I have a bag of red lentils in an airtight container and they have been there for a while. What's weird is that they are no longer red. Any ideas why?

How do I cook fresh black beans?

Airhen — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:10:07 -0800

What should I do with these fresh (not dried, not canned) black beans? I have 1 pound and can't find even basic cooking instructions. In "How to Cook Everything," Mark Bittman doesn't even acknowledge that you can buy them fresh. I'd like mostly vegetarian suggestions, but I'll take omnivore advice, too.

Teach me how to bean it up

timetoevolve — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:26:09 -0800

Please teach a displaced, late-to-this-whole-cooking-thing Southerner how to make pinto beans and cornbread. One of my southern mama's highly excellent scraping-by-'til-payday meals was a big pot of pinto beans and a skillet of cornbread. For my part, I resisted learning anything about cooking until age 21 or so, and my mother passed away having never taught me her cheapo dinner skills.

Considerations:

-I do not have a slow cooker or crockpot, but I do have a massive Dutch oven, patience, and a decent amount of free time.
-Any recipes are only for me (my husband detests beans); I have no food allergies and am an adventurous eater.
-My mama's beans had some delicious bean "gravy" (I suppose), which was thick and excellent for sopping up with cornbread. My beans just come out watery, so apparently I'm missing something.
-I am aware that there are any number of recipes for this exact meal, but I'm interested to know what variations/secret tricks exist.

Any help is greatly appreciated, and my beans will thank you.

Will trade cow for magic beans

Horace Rumpole — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:06:22 -0800

CoffeeFilter: Where I can find good flavored coffee beans in the Boston area? I know we're big coffee philistines and all, but the wife and I like flavored coffee beans for our morning cup, and the only ones we've been able to find, at Shaw's and Dunkin Donuts, are adequate but underwhelming. The intense sweetness of flavor syrups is too much to go with my Frosted Mini-Wheats in the morning. Is there someplace I can go to get the hazelnutty goodness I need to start my day off right?

I'm willing to travel, but it should be T-accessible, and something in the Cambridge-Somerville-Downtown Boston area would be preferable.

Unconventional air fresheners

cazoo — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:16:33 -0800

Coffee beans as an air freshener? I read somewhere on the net that coffee beans are good to leave around the house as their scent helps to clean the nasal palate and eliminate other odors.

What other natural ingredients may be used in this same way? Conventional air fresheners like candles, flowers, and sprays make me physically ill for some odd reason.

Make my pork and beans taste good

shelleycat — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:08:05 -0800

I need a kick arse recipe for pork and beans that's slow cooker compatible. I've tried a few found via google with lack luster results, so now I'm looking for something tried and true. There's a school of thought that says pork should be cooked with overly sweet fruit, apricots or pineapple or whatever. I don't really belong to that school. I like all kinds of beans except black beans and green beans, and am sure that they could be added to pork to make a really nice casserole in my slow cooker (aka crockpot). But there needs to be something else in there because so far every recipe I've tried is really bland.

The only other condition is that the dish be low fat (the pork is already lean) and reasonably low in salt, otherwise I'm open to all kind of flavourings or whatever to make this taste good. Oh yeah, and it's winter here just in case that matters.

Making refried beans with canned pinto beans

chips ahoy — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:19:36 -0800

How can I make decent refried beans using canned pinto beans? All the refried bean recipes I'm finding either want me to start from scratch with dried beans and toil away half the day cooking them, or buy a can of refried beans. The problem is that I've got more canned pinto beans than I know what to do with, and I'm not certain how to adjust the recipes. Advice or suggestions from the chefs here?

Let's Eat Some Beans!

Medieval Maven — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:09:29 -0800

Tis the season for cold bean salads. Sock it to me. Specifically, if you've got a recipe that calls for Cranberry Beans, I'd love to have it. I have a mess of fresh ones!

bean me!

Koko — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:55:10 -0800

I love beans! I want a few simple recipes for bean salads that will keep a few days in the fridge, and that I can take to work for lunch during the week. The simpler the better - short prep time, few ingredients. Things I hate which should not be in the bean salad:

canned green beans (frozen or fresh is ok; any other canned bean except lima is ok)
lima beans
onions (garlic is A-OK)
peppers of any kind (bell, jalapeno, etc.)
cumin
mushrooms

Recipes that have any of the above ingredients are ok if the ingredient can be left out without compromising the salad too much.

A black-or-red bean and couscous-or-rice salad would be ideal, but I'm having a hard time finding simple recipes for those.

I prefer using canned beans to dry beans (quicker prep, less chance of undercooked beans).

Suggestions for good cookbooks are also welcome.

Thanks!

Spill the beans

juva — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:43:38 -0800

Do you cook beans in the water they soaked in or do you use fresh water? I want to make Cuban beans from scratch (no cans). Some recipes say you should cook the beans in the water they soaked in, while others call for rinsing the soaked beans and using fresh water.

I want my beans to have plenty of not-too-runny "bean gravy". Which method is better to achieve this consistency? How does the use of one method over the other affect the final dish? I've heard that beans cooked in fresh water are easier on the digestive system but won't the gravy be too runny?

Bonus points for good Cuban bean recipes.