A lot of us grew up with beans as an afterthought, watery from a tin, eaten cold from desperation, or boiled into a grey mush. No wonder so many people quietly avoid them. Cooked with the smallest amount of care, they are a different food entirely.
Why bother
Beans and other pulses are one of the great bargains of the kitchen. They are cheap, they keep forever, and they are loaded with fibre and protein. Diets that lean on them are linked to better heart health and steadier blood sugar. For the price of a chocolate bar you can feed a family.
How to make them good
The difference between sad beans and good beans is almost always seasoning and a little fat.
- Drain and rinse tinned beans, then cook them with onion, garlic and a splash of oil
- Add them to a tomato sauce with cumin and smoked paprika for an instant chilli
- Mash chickpeas with lemon, oil and garlic for a rough hummus
- Crisp up butter beans in a hot pan until golden, then salt them well
Tinned beans are already cooked, so you are really just warming and flavouring them. It takes minutes.
Starting small
If you are wary, do not build a meal around them at first. Add half a tin to a stew or a soup you already make. They thicken it, stretch it further, and quietly do you good. Once you see how easy they are, the cupboard tin stops being an afterthought and starts being a plan.