Bulk dried beans beat canned for me, but only after a fail

I tried switching to dried beans last month to save cash, figured 2 bucks a bag vs 1.50 a can was a no brainer. First batch I soaked overnight then boiled for an hour and they were still like little rocks, totally ruined my chili. Turns out my tap water here in Phoenix is super hard, so I added a pinch of baking soda on try two and they softened in 45 minutes flat. Now I do a big pot every Sunday and freeze portions, saves me like 6 bucks a week. Anyone else hit a weird water issue that messed up their bean game?

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joel_hall1711d ago

Hard water got me too, but backwards. Moved from the city to a place with a well and suddenly everything took twice as long to cook. The baking soda trick is solid, though I felt like a mad scientist the first time I tried it. My first bean fail was so bad I texted my mom a photo of the pot asking if she thought I was cursed. She said no, just move somewhere with soft water, like that's a real option. These days I soak for 24 hours and add a tiny pinch of soda no matter what, just to be safe. Still cheaper than therapy, and the chili actually turns out edible now.