Until recently, whenever I bought refried beans at the grocery store, Scanning the market rail, I grabbed the sweetest can and tossed it into my cart. But the truth is that one brand can taste different from another. Unless you're like me Baked beans from scratch.It's worth looking for the next best thing. We deserve it.
So the Bon Appétit team recently tasted refried beans to determine the tastiest brand on the market. Our test kitchen knows that ideal refried beans need to be balanced. The toy can be anchored like dishes. Spiced beef tostadas Or Cauliflower nachosOr just provide a nest for some fried eggs. Pickled onions. Beans should have some spice, but they shouldn't overpower a dish. They should be structured, but not starchy. Oily but not greasy.
the term Fried In fact, the Spanish translation is misleading. fried. Rehash More true to the cooking process, refried beans are Mexican; It's a staple of cuisine across Latin America, but ingredients and techniques vary from region to region. Recipes are black; Can be called pinto or heirloom beans. Beans are usually boiled; Drained and some kind of fat (like lard, vegetable oil, or bacon) Onions, It is cooked with flavorings such as garlic or chili. The boiled mixture is ground into a paste.
There are many variables for a taste test; But as before, Our test kitchen was a challenge. For our latest blind taste test, We tested 11 brands of refried beans to find the ultimate winner.
How to choose products?
We began our search by polling Bon Appétit employees, asking if anyone had a favorite brand of fries. Many employees praise Amy's and give a nod to Old El Paso. I then scoured the internet to see which brands were covered and which were overlooked.
Once we have our master list, we stick to what each brand considers its “traditional” offering. Low-sodium varieties and cans marked with a specific flavor, such as “green chili,” have been removed (some of our final list contains green chili among the ingredients). One notable exception is Trader Joe's refried beans, which are marked “fat-free” because they were the only TJ's refried beans available in our area at the time of release.
The fries offered at any shop are vegan, vegetarian May include a mix of meat and meat options; So our taste test reflects that. We want to see how plant-based options measure up against their myriad competitors.
How do we set up our blind taste test?
Nobody likes deep-fried beans at room temperature. So our first order of business was to put the contents of each jar into bowls and pop them into the microwave (nothing too convenient for our editors). We then spread the warmed beans in a bowl to test their spreadability before presenting them to the tasting panel.