Video summary

Don’t Buy Beans Until You Watch This: Canned vs Dried

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

  • Sauce Stash (video sponsored segment by Strawberry.me)
  • Main focus: comparing canned vs pressure-cooked dried beans/chickpeas, especially using an Instant Pot.

Ingredients & Quantities Mentioned

Black Beans (Sodium Matching Comparison)

  • Canned black beans (Bush’s): used as the comparison baseline
  • Dried black beans: pressure-cooked in an Instant Pot
  • Kosher salt / sodium matching
    • Target: ~450 mg sodium per serving
    • Approximation stated: 450 mg sodium ≈ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • Instant Pot batch adjustment: added ~1 teaspoon kosher salt; “maybe a little bit extra of a pinch” to match sodium level
  • Aquafaba / cooking liquid: not specifically used for black beans (not mentioned in subtitles)

Chickpeas (Canned vs Dried Pressure Cooker)

  • Canned chickpeas
    • Label mentioned: “dalo”
  • Dried chickpeas
    • Cooked in an Instant Pot
  • No additional ingredients are described for the chickpea cook (other than the earlier salt/sodium context for black beans).
  • Aquafaba (from canned chickpeas)
    • Not saved: “I didn’t save the aquafaba because I have tons of it right now.”
  • Rinsing
    • Canned chickpeas were rinsed off
    • For dried chickpeas, soaking isn’t mentioned
    • The presenter questions whether soaking would change the results.

Equipment & Required Prep

  • Instant Pot (pressure cooker): used to pressure-cook dried beans/chickpeas
  • Rinsing (as applicable)
    • The presenter rinsed canned beans/chickpeas (noted as done to reduce gas)
    • This included:
      • Rinsing Bush’s canned black beans
      • Rinsing dalo canned chickpeas
  • Pressure relief step
    • For chickpeas, the presenter quickly relieved the pressure after realizing they weren’t done at the 30-minute mark
  • Mixing
    • Chickpeas were mixed around, potentially contributing to skins loosening/breaking

Method (Step-by-Step with Key Timings/Technique Cues)

Black Beans: Canned vs Pressure-Cooked Dried (Instant Pot)

  1. Sodium match for a fair comparison
    • Both options aligned around ~450 mg sodium per serving
    • Instant Pot dried-bean batch seasoned to match (described as ~1 teaspoon kosher salt, “maybe a little bit extra of a pinch”)
  2. Cook dried black beans in Instant Pot
    • Exact cook time/temperature is not stated in the subtitles
  3. Texture/look evaluation
    • Instant Pot beans: shinier, glossier, smoother
    • Canned beans: described as gray/dull

Chickpeas: Canned vs Dried Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)

  1. Canned chickpeas
    • Rinsed (presenter: “the chickpeas out of the can… rinsed off because everybody says to rinse them off”)
    • Aquafaba: not saved
  2. Dried chickpeas in Instant Pot
    • Cooked for ~30 minutes initially
    • Not done at the 30-minute mark, so:
      • Cooked an additional 10 minutes
      • Then quickly relieved the pressure
      • Mixed them around, which may have affected skin integrity
  3. Timing/texture outcomes
    • The presenter suggests possible over-pressure cooking, reflected in loose skins and dull appearance

Tips, Common Mistakes, and Troubleshooting Mentioned

  • Instant Pot vs soaking
    • The presenter chose an Instant Pot partly to avoid overnight soaking
  • Rinsing canned beans can reduce gas
    • Presenter rinsed canned black beans after comments
    • Notes that they personally eat a lot of fiber, while others may experience more gas from canned beans
  • Chickpea doneness matters
    • Chickpeas weren’t done at 30 minutes, so cooking was extended by 10 minutes
  • Skins loosening troubleshooting (possible causes)
    • Overcooking
    • Quick pressure release
    • Mixing around
  • Soaking question (unanswered)
    • Presenter wonders whether soaking dried chickpeas would change results:
      • “I do wonder if there would be a difference with soaking them versus not.”

Results & Serving/Plating Notes

Black Beans

  • Taste/texture
    • Pressure-cooked dried beans are described as dramatically better:
      • rounder, richer, smoother
      • more even texture
  • Convenience
    • “Time canned wins”—canned beans are acceptable if you’re in a hurry
  • Appearance
    • Instant Pot beans look better (shinier/glossier/smoother)
    • Canned beans look gray/dull

Chickpeas

  • Appearance
    • Canned wins: “For appearance, the cans win”
    • Canned chickpeas described as “immaculate”
  • Taste
    • Pressure cooker wins hands down:
      • more buttery
      • smoother
  • Hummus suggestion
    • Pressure-cooked chickpeas would make phenomenal hummus
  • Salad caution
    • Loose skins would be undesirable for salad unless skins were removed
    • Removing skins leads to a glossier result
  • Color note
    • Pressure-cooked chickpeas were described as dark

Cost/Value Comparisons (Decision-Making)

  • Price: dried beans win
  • Dried cost range mentioned: 50 cents to $1.12 per pound
  • Canned cost range mentioned: $1.50 to $3.50 per pound
  • Conversion/value notes:
    • 2 cups dry ≈ 1 pound
    • 2 cups dry ≈ ~3 cans
    • Conclusion: dried is far cheaper—“about a third of that even”

Variations / Decisions Discussed

  • Black beans
    • Dried (pressure-cooked) presented as a clear win for texture and taste
  • Chickpeas
    • Presented as a tighter tie:
      • Canned looks better
      • Pressure-cooked tastes/texture better
  • Choice framework depends on
    • Convenience time vs effort
    • Whether you’re willing to add waiting time (presenter suggests canned is quicker; dried takes longer, including waiting)

Sources / References Mentioned

  • Bush’s canned black beans explicitly referenced (“This is bushes”)
  • Chickpea brand mentioned: “dalo”
  • No external recipes or research sources cited in the subtitles
  • Only general reference: “according to the instructions” for Instant Pot cooking, without including the instruction text.

Original video