How to make homemade pinto beans taste like canned refried beans?
I see plenty of advice out there on how to make canned pinto beans taste delicious, but does anyone know how to recreate that cheapo refrito taste? I've tried countless combinations of freshly cooked pinto beans, salt, garlic, chili powder, onions...
They always seem to be missing some crucial element, and I don't mean the sitting-in-a-can-forever-flavor!
Best Answer
Lard is the fat of choice in many "el cheapo" canned refried beans, and could be what you are missing.
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How do you make refried beans with pinto beans?
How to Make Refried Beans:How do you add flavor to can pinto beans?
THE STEPS FOR DOCTORING CANNED PINTO BEANS\u2026Are pinto and refried beans the same?
Contrary to popular belief, refried beans aren't deep-fried. Rather, they're cooked pinto beans that are pan-fried in lard and salt. When cooked, the beans soften and eventually form a paste. Seasonings like onion, garlic, and peppers may be added for flavor.What can I add to my beans to make them taste better?
Toss drained/rinsed/dried beans with a bit of olive oil (or avocado oil) and your favorite seasonings. You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.Ultimate Refried Beans - How to Make Refried Beans for Nachos \u0026 Burritos
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Answer 2
My first guess would be: more salt than you think. This is probably the main "secret" for most processed foods.
Ortega Traditional Refried Beans have 560 mg of sodium per serving (that's a serving of 131 g, making 3.5 servings in a standard can). A 1/4 tsp of table salt has 590 mg. If you're making the equivalent of 1 can of beans, you would have to put in a little over 3/4 tsp of salt.
If you're making a biggish pot, starting with 1 kg of dry beans (makes about 2 kg cooked), that would be about 4 tsp (9.5 g) of salt. Yeah, it's a lot. You can think about whether you really want to do that.
Other suggestions I have heard: sugar and cinnamon. Haven't tried it myself, though.
Answer 3
You're missing fat in the equation. The previous member suggests bacon but I don't know how you feel about the smoke flavor but fat will do you good.
Answer 4
Try mashing the beans with butter and bacon drippings along with just a enough cumin so you can "tell" it's different but you can't taste the cumin.
Answer 5
You might be missing epazote. IMHO an absolute must in any Mexican bean dishes. Do not overdo it though.
Answer 6
Lard. It's all you need. There is usually a tub of it in the same part of the store as Crisco (vegetable shortening).
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