Canned Beans

Bob Simon said:

My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili tonight. I was surprised to find
chili beans, kidney beans (both light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures
looked pretty much the same to me.

Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item that folks call by different
names? If they are different, do they have distinctive flavors or textures?

Botanically, they're different. They're slightly different varieties of closely related species--
beans. Culinarily, they're awfully similar. Maybe there's someone out there who could tell the
difference in a blind taste test. I'm not sure I could, but I haven't tried. They look different
raw. Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys. EXCEPT, when you're talking about something
this similar, people start mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there
ever was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the country and learn it is called
a small red bean somewhere else. That leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be accurate,
but there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide if
you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

--Lia

Julia Altshuler said:

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide if
you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

Pinto beans are best for chili.

--
Best Greg

Hark! I heard "Gregory Morrow" <[email hidden]> say:

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide
if you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

Quoted message said:

Pinto beans are best for chili.

I, OTOH, like light red kidney beans for chili... :-)

--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ ..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Julia Altshuler said:

Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys. EXCEPT, when you're talking about something this
similar, people start mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there ever
was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the country and learn it is called a
small red bean somewhere else. That leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be accurate,
but there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.

Most of the commercial "chili beans" are pintos with added spices, which makes them different from
plain canned beans. He should get the ones labeled that way, since that's what he was sent for.

Quoted message said:

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide if
you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

Not necessarily. Many people's chili recipes consist of ground beef with a few cans of the chili
beans dumped in. If you try to substitute plain beans, then the product will be awfully bland. Not
that it would be any great shakes with the chili beans.

Brian Rodenborn

"Gregory Morrow" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide
if you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

Pinto beans are best for chili.

--
Best Greg

I usually use a mix of pintos and red kidney beans for chili...last time, though, I used just
anasazi beans. Wonderful!

Paula

On 20 Jan 2004 11:57:25 -0800, [email hidden] (Bob Simon)

Quoted message said:

My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili tonight. I was surprised to find
chili beans, kidney beans (both light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures
looked pretty much the same to me.

Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item that folks call by different
names? If they are different, do they have distinctive flavors or textures?

Chili beans usually have chile powder (+ cumin and oregano) in them. Check the ingredients.

-sw

Julia Altshuler said:

Bob Simon said:

My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili tonight. I was surprised to find
chili beans, kidney beans (both light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures
looked pretty much the same to me.

Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item that folks call by different
names? If they are different, do they have distinctive flavors or textures?

Botanically, they're different. They're slightly different varieties of closely related species--
beans. Culinarily, they're awfully similar. Maybe there's someone out there who could tell the
difference in a blind taste test. I'm not sure I could, but I haven't tried. They look different
raw. Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys. EXCEPT, when you're talking about something
this similar, people start mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there
ever was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the country and learn it is called
a small red bean somewhere else. That leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be
accurate, but there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide if
you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

--Lia

Thanks. What about light red vs dark red? Are these different varieties too?

--
Bob Simon
remove x from domain for private replies

j.j. said:

Hark! I heard "Gregory Morrow"

...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pinto beans are best for chili.

I, OTOH, like light red kidney beans for chili... :-)

I like a combination of kidney beans and black beans.

---jkb

--
Daniel Jackson: "Tastes like chicken." Captain Samantha Carter: "So what's wrong with it?" Daniel
Jackson: "It's macaroni and cheese."

On 20 Jan 2004 11:57:25 -0800, [email hidden] (Bob Simon)

Quoted message said:

My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili tonight. I was surprised to find
chili beans, kidney beans (both light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures
looked pretty much the same to me.

Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item that folks call by different
names? If they are different, do they have distinctive flavors or textures?

'Chili beans' usually have some added flavoring and/or sauce. Pintos are good for chile. Shoot,
almost *any* dried bean is good for chile. You failed to mention navy (sea-going, not color),
cannellini, pink, cranberry, black, great northern, etc., etc.

Yes, they are different -- in color, size, traditional uses, 'though only mildly different, IMHO, in
flavor and texture, once cooked. 'Red beans and rice' wouldn't be the same with white beans. New
England baked beans means (usually) some variety of white beans (pea beans, great northern, navy).
No, it's not marketing hype -- it's catering to personal preference and tradition.

Hark! I heard [email hidden] say:

Quoted message said:

PENMART01 said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

Black beans are best.

Beans, beans... good for your heart... the more yoose eat the more yoose

fart!

Quoted message said:

Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .

Quoted message said:

Personally, I just use what I have on hand. If they're red, fine. Black, no problem here with that
either. If I were to go out intent on making chili I'd get the red kidney beans.

Oh, and Shel... I heard it somewhat differently. It had to do with being a musical fruit but I
digress. ;-)

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit The more you eat, the more you toot The more you toot, the better
you feel So let's have beans with every meal"

Unknown

You knew someone would post it...

--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ ..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Quoted message said:

Frogleg mumbled:

(Bob Simon) said:

My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili tonight.

'Chili beans' usually have some added flavoring and/or sauce.

Then you're speaking of a recipe, not a type of bean... there is no such bean as a chili bean. duh

americanbean.orgamericanbean.orgOpen ↗

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon
```````````` "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"Gregory Morrow" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Julia Altshuler said:

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and another the next. Decide
if you can tell the difference and if you have a preference.

Pinto beans are best for chili.

We like all kinds of beans so when I make chili I used three 19 oz cans of mixed beans. Yum!

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:36:25 GMT,
[email hidden] (j.j.) wrote:

)

Quoted message said:

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit The more you eat, the more you toot The more you toot, the
better you feel So let's have beans with every meal"

Unknown

You knew someone would post it...

Yeah, but you quoted it wrong.

"So eat your beans at every meal."

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Hark! I heard icu2@pipeline dot com say:

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:36:25 GMT, [email hidden] (j.j.) wrote:

)

Quoted message said:

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit The more you eat, the more you toot The more you toot, the
better you feel So let's have beans with every meal"

Unknown

You knew someone would post it...

Yeah, but you quoted it wrong.

"So eat your beans at every meal."

"Wrong" is in the ear of the listener, based on what you grew up with. Kinda like the "greasy,
grimey, gopher guts" song; there are several varieties, I think they're mostly regional.

Quoted message said:

Practice safe eating - always use condiments

I love this sig, don't ever change it...

--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~ ..fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Steve Calvin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

PENMART01 said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

Black beans are best.

Personally, I just use what I have on hand. If they're red, fine. Black, no problem here with that
either. If I were to go out intent on making chili I'd get the red kidney beans.

Oh, and Shel... I heard it somewhat differently. It had to do with being a musical fruit but I
digress. ;-)

What if all you have on hand are red and black jelly beans? Could extra savory spices be added to
cut the sweetness? If you boiled them in water first would it cut a lot of the sugar? If beans are
musical fruit and most fruit is sweet.............

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