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Cooked pinto beans
In the US, consumers love to eat pinto beans amongst the varied range of beans. The reason behind this is their versatility and affordability, of course. You can consume them in multiple styles. Soak pinto beans, cook, and flavor them with lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. You can also add them to different dishes such as salads and soups.
Pinto beans are available in the market in both canned and dried form. Canned beans are already preserved to last for long. Whereas, an unopened pack of dried beans can last for a good amount of time. Even if you open the pack and use half of them, the rest can be again stored easily. Pinto beans are the major ingredient of refried beans that behave as a perfect dip for burritos and tortilla chips. Besides, you can serve them as a side dish and use to season the main dish, also.
How do you reheat cooked pinto beans?
Pinto beans when soaked, boiled, mashed, and furthermore cooked turn into an amazing Mexican cuisine called refried beans. You can either buy a can of refried bean from a grocery store or can prepare it at home. However, in one way or the other, you need to reheat them at any point. Reheating helps to maintain the creamy texture of refried beans. The process works the same for both be it’s preserved refried bean or made fresh at home. So, let’s explore how it goes:
- Place a pan with refried beans on a medium flame.
- Keep on stirring the beans so that they don’t stick to the bottom or sides of the pan.
- While you stir, add one teaspoon of chicken broth or water to the material. If you want a thin and runny consistency, add more water and vice versa.
- Heat the mixture thoroughly for about 5 minutes and don’t let it boil. Boiling will cause drying of refried beans and will burn the bottom of the pan also.
Can you microwave refried beans?
Reheating refried beans in a microwave is very easy. But microwaved beans dry up quickly and easily in comparison to stove reheated ones. Whatsoever, below is the step by step process about how to use a microwave for reheating refried beans:
- Pour refried beans in a container and cover them.
- Put the container in the microwave.
- Set the timer for 2 minutes and press ‘start’. However, the time setting also depends upon the quantity of fried beans.
- Pause the reheating cycle in between.
- Stir the fried beans and analyze the temperature.
- If you feel them properly reheated, take the container out of the microwave. Otherwise, resume the reheating cycle.
- Once the cycle completes, you can again set for a few seconds if not heated thoroughly.
How do you know when cooked beans have gone bad?
Pinto beans are a rich source of protein, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. They enhance the nutritional value of your diet if consumed unspoiled. Because eating cooked beans that have gone bad can impact your stomach adversely. So, it’s very important to learn about the symptoms if cooked beans go bad.
Dry pinto beans have a very long shelf life. On the other hand, cooked ones are sensitive. But their sensitivity depends on the method of storage you opt for. Storing in refrigerator reduces their lifespan, unlike the freezer. So, either it’s stored bean casserole or bean dip, be very vigilant about their texture and smell before eating. If they smell and appear weird, refrain from tasting and immediately throw them.
Dry beans storage and benefit of cooked bean storage:
Dry beans storage:
The bean family includes a good variety. There are kidney beans, white beans, black beans, pinto beans, and navy beans. They are dried after undergoing a lengthy procedure. That’s why they include minimum moisture within. All the kinds require almost the same kind of storage precautions. And the good part is that there are no difficult guidelines to follow. Just you need to store them in a dark, cool, and dry place. It can be any cupboard of your kitchen or if you have a pantry, it’s perfect.
Benefits of cooked bean storage:
Pinto beans are economical to buy and act as a nice addition to your recipes. But it’s not a timesaving activity to cook them any time you want. Because they should be soaked for a minimum of six hours and a whole night maximum before boiling. Therefore, soaking and boiling pinto bean in good quantity for storing is an appealing idea. Cook them and store them in several batches. Each batch must contain the quantity according to your family size. So, fill each plastic bag adequately and put it in the freezer. After returning from hectic work hours, just thaw a bag and prepare chilli corn carne in an instant.
Besides storing in the freezer, we recommend you store a bag in the refrigerator. If you plan to prepare refried beans within 2, 3 days.
How long can you keep cooked pinto beans at?
A. Room temperature:
The growth of bacteria speeds up between 40-140 degrees F. So if cooked pinto beans are left at room temperature for more than two hours. They don’t remain worth eating anymore.
B. Fridge:
While storing in the fridge, make sure that you put cooked pinto beans into an airtight jar. Another option to put them is a plastic bag that is resealable. It will increase the shelf life of cooked pinto beans and will make them safer to eat for a good period. Therefore, if you follow the instruction properly, the cooked pinto beans will survive for 3-5 days in the fridge. It will also enhance the quality.
C. Freezer:
Freezing is a way very influential if you want to use cooked pinto beans after several months. Freezing increases the shelf life quite remarkably in comparison to refrigerating. But always use a covered airtight box or durable freezer-bag for this purpose. So, you can achieve the desired result. Therefore, freezing according to the guidelines increases the lifespan of cooked pinto beans for 6 months. Nether their safety will be affected nor will they lose their quality. Moreover, constantly remaining frozen at 0 degrees F makes cooked pinto beans worth eating for endless span.
D. Frozen and thawed:
When frozen cooked pinto beans are thawed in the refrigerator. You can keep them for 3-4 more days in the fridge before reheating.
On the contrary, if you thaw frozen cooked pinto beans in the microwave, it’s recommended to use them immediately.
Recipes for pinto beans:
Frijoles a la charra:
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 hours
Total time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- Dry pinto beans: 1 pound
- Garlic cloves: 5 chopped
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Bacon: ½ pound diced
- Onion: 1 chopped
- Tomatoes: 2 diced
- Jalapeno peppers: 1 can of 3.5 ounces sliced
- Beer can: 1
- Cilantro: 1/3 cup, fresh and chopped
Procedure:
- Take a slow cooker. Put in pinto beans and fill the cooker with water unless it covers the beans thoroughly. Add salt and garlic also. Cover the cooker and let the beans cook for 1 hour on high flame.
- Take a skillet and put bacon in it. Cook bacon on medium-high flame. Let it turn brown evenly. Remove the fat and put onion in it. Cook for a while. Now add tomatoes and sliced jalapenos. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and pour them in the slow cooker into the beans.
- Continue to cook on low flame for a further 4 hours. Don’t forget to cover the cooker. Add in beer and cilantro as a final touch just 30 minutes before you turn off the flame.
Refried beans:
The recipe goes for a can of boiled pinto beans. You can also boil them at home. But the timings are according to the canned or frozen that you thaw to use.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- Pinto beans: 3 cups
- Olive oil: 2-3 tablespoon
- Onion: ½ chopped
- Garlic cloves: 2 minced
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Chili powder: 2 tbsps
- Liquid smoke: a few drops only
- Vegetable broth: ½ cup
- Cilantro: 2 tbsps of fresh and chopped
- Kosher salt: as per taste
- Tortilla chips for topping. You can also use chopped red or green onion as the topping.
Procedure:
- Take a large pan. Heat some oil in it on medium flame
- Now add onions and cook them for about five minutes until they get soft.
- Mix cumin, liquid smoke, garlic, and chili powder. Sauté them for 1-2 minutes
- Add pinto beans in this. Start mashing beans with a potato masher. Meanwhile, add vegetable broth as per requirement. Keep on mashing until you achieve the desired consistency and texture. The texture can be chunky or smooth as you like.
- Mix kosher salt in it and add cilantro to it.
- Refried beans are ready to serve. Don’t forget to top it with your preferred toppings.