Just realized canned beans cost 3x more than dried at Aldi

Was at Aldi in Akron last Tuesday grabbing stuff for chili. Canned black beans were $1.09 a can. Dried were $1.29 for a whole pound bag. That pound makes like 6 cans worth after cooking. Blew my mind. Took an extra hour to soak and simmer but I saved about $5 on that one meal. Anyone else notice this and actually switch?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_campbell7d ago

Did I totally underestimate how much time dried beans take, or am I just that bad at planning meals? lol. I had the same moment of clarity a few months back, bought a bag of pintos for chili and then stared at my stove like "wait, I have to actually cook these for like two hours?" Still worth it though, my wallet felt the difference instantly. Now I just make a big batch on Sunday and freeze half, which is way less stressful than last-minute canned bean panic.

charlienelson7d ago

Read somewhere that pressure cookers cut bean time down to like 40 minutes no soaking, but I haven't tried it myself yet. @evan_campbell you got the right idea with batch cooking though. That Sunday prep is the only way dried beans don't turn into a weeknight tragedy. I tried the quick soak method once where you boil them for a minute then let them sit, ended up with beans that were somehow both raw and mushy.

kim.xena7d ago

Respectfully gotta push back on this one, @evan_campbell. I tried the dried bean life for like a month and ended up with a pantry full of half-cooked beans that stayed crunchy no matter what I did. That extra hour you mention? It's more like three if you factor in forgetting to soak them, then rushing and getting that weird skin-splitting texture. Plus those cans at Aldi are already seasoned, so I can dump them in and have chili done in 20 minutes on a Tuesday after work. Saving five bucks is cool but not if I end up ordering takeout because I got sick of watching a pot boil.