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A heads up about those dried beans from the bulk bin
Okay, so I tried to make a big pot of black bean soup from scratch last Tuesday to save money. I bought a pound of dried beans from the bulk section for like $1.50, thinking it would be easy. I soaked them overnight like you're supposed to, but when I went to cook them the next day, they just would not get soft. I simmered them for over four hours and they were still crunchy in the middle. I was so frustrated I almost threw the whole pot out. Turns out, the beans were super old, which I guess happens sometimes with bulk bins if the store doesn't rotate stock. I had to start all over with a new bag from a different store. What should have been a 2-hour cooking project turned into a two-day bean saga. Has anyone else gotten a bad batch of old dried beans like that? How can you tell before you buy them?
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reed.eva1mo ago
Honestly, the_robert saying to check for cracks is smart. Tbh it feels like everything from bulk bins is a gamble now, not just beans. I've had the same thing happen with spices that had zero flavor.
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claireg814d ago
Oh man, I feel this so hard. My last batch of bulk bin lentils turned into bulletproof little pellets. I was so sure I'd messed up the recipe, but nope, they were just ancient. I've started giving beans a quick sniff test right in the store, which probably looks weird. If they smell musty or like dust, I leave them. A visual check for weird wrinkles or a faded color helps too. It's a bummer because the bulk bins used to be so reliable.
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