Had to choose between store brand beans and name brand last Tuesday

I was standing in the grocery aisle last week staring at a $2.79 bag of store brand black beans versus a $4.35 bag of the usual Goya brand. I grabbed the cheap ones because I'm trying to stretch my grocery budget this month after my car needed a new alternator. Cooked them up for burrito bowls and honestly they tasted the exact same, maybe a little mushier but not bad. So now I'm wondering if anyone else has found store brand staples that are totally fine or am I just lucky with beans?

2 comments

2 Comments

henrygrant17d ago

You said "maybe a little mushier" but beans get mushy from overcooking not from being store brand. I've eaten both for years. The texture difference is all about how long you simmer them and whether you add salt too early. Salt toughens the skins. Cook them low and slow and they'll hold their shape fine. Goya isn't some magic bean company. They're just beans with a bigger marketing budget.

the_beth17d ago

Henry is right about the salt thing. I used to add salt early and my beans always came out looking like they went a few rounds in a washing machine. Switched to adding it after they were fully tender and the difference was night and day. What do you usually do for seasoning timing?