Beans in water

[Ice Rich]

Hello and happy new year,

Feel a bit silly asking this as it's probably something simple, but i've just moved into my first place and not had much cooking experience so will ask anyway;

I've been making some stews recently and have always liked beans (mixed, Cannellini etc), i'd like to add some when I next add the veg and noticed some of the cans are 'with water' - what is the purpose of this?

I normally let all my veg cook in the stew (I don't pre-cook them), is it recommended to use this water the beans come in to cook them first (the beans) and then chuck water away? (i've herd a lot nutrients are in this water so best to boil them in this?)

Thanks,

 

[Mrs Seabiscuit]

Just use water from the can dont throw it away.

 

[glitch]

The reason for the water is threefold; cooking, preservation and protection.

Typically the water in the can will be the same water the beans were cooked* in. Sometimes they are done en-masse in a huge vat and then tinned, sometimes they are pressure canned and cooked inside the can itself - that comes down to the type of bean and the factory that processed them.

The preservation bit comes in when the producer wants to ensure that their 'perfectly' cooked bean reaches their customer in the same condition that they intended it to. Without the water, the beans would dry up and you'd need to rehydrate them before you cooked them, assuming they hadn't gone to a complete mush whilst in the can.

And thirdly, the protection aspect. Without the water inside the sealed tin, the beans would be very susceptible to damage from knocks, drops, bumps, etc. The water acts as stabiliser and protects the beans (up to a point) from being spoiled before they get to you.

As for the question of should you use the water in the can; well, that's up to you. I'm far more of a 'rinser' than a 'keeper' as I tend to want the flavour of the bean in my dishes, not the starchy, salty, gloopy water.

But with some beans (black beans, as a great example) the liquid can really help to thicken up the sauce, but I'd use it sparingly at most, as it's not particularly palatable.

*EDIT: I should probably make it clearer that by this I mean part-cooked, not cooked through as with baked beans, etc.

 

[Maccapacca]

Just use water from the can dont throw it away.

 

[Ice Rich]

Got it, thanks very much guys, nice explanation glitch

In my example above though (where beans are to be cooked with the raw veg in the stew), draining first and then chucking them in is also fine?

 

[glitch]

I don't think there's any hard and fast rule as to what you do with the liquid in the can when it comes to adding the beans to a dish rather than cooking them through in said water. Some beans come in really thick, gloopy starchy water that's full of sodium, others are tinned with much clearer, cleaner water that's very light in both taste and appearance - it's really down to you as a cook to decide what you do with it.

Start off by tasting it and working out if you really want that flavour in your finished dish. Sometimes it'll be so mild that you can use the starch in the water to thicken up a dish, so you might decide to use a little of it. Other times it might be so grim you want to wash all trace of it away.

If there's flavour there that you like; don't waste it. But equally, don't just chuck it all in and hope for the best - you can always add more later if you think its necessary.

 

[Ice Rich]

Brilliant, I understand, many thanks.

 

[glitch]

You're most welcome. Half the fun of cooking is experimenting and exploring new tastes, and that's the hardest part to come by when you're just starting out as you just don't know what's best.

Ultimately no question is a stupid question, providing it's asked for the right reasons, so if you're ever in doubt; ask - I'm sure people will only be too happy to help you find your way.

If you're quite 'into' your beans, perhaps you might consider branching out a little with how you use them? I can highly recommend a white bean purée or cannelloni bean mash as a great accompaniment to all sorts of meals and a lighter and healthier alternative to mashed potatoes.

It's very easy to make and ripe for experimenting with by adding your own flavours and textures - probably not great with a stew, I'll grant you, but with a nice steak or a piece of salmon or grilled lamb it's nigh-on perfect!