What is dried kidney beans as opposed to just kidney beans?
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flo (
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May 29th, 2016
It’s not like the difference between apricots and dried apricots etc. Aren’t kidney beans already dry?
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49 Answers
The difference is the “kidney beans” are in a can.
I believe a kidney bean is a dehiscent, simple dry fruit.
@Tropical_Willie There are all kinds of things in cans, for example, potaotes. They don’t call the ones in cans “potaotoes” and call the the ones not in cans “dried potatoes”.
The dried kidney beans have actually been dried from their original raw (crunchy, off the plant, out of the pod) state. Kidney beans in a can have been lightly cooked and sealed with a saline solution, in a can.
Your comparison to potatoes doesn’t apply here.
Dried kidney beans need to be moistened and cooked.
Sorry, @flo. I was trying to say that a kidney bean, in its natural state and as picked, would be crunchy and just slightly moist. After the beans have been harvested, they’re dried for packaging.
Canned kidney beans have been soaked, to restore the moisture, and then cooked. They simply need to be reheated. They should also be rinsed under running water in a strainer or colander, before heating, because they’re swimming in a salt-laden liquid that isn’t very appealing.
Canned beans don’t necessarily need to be rinsed. It depends what you are using them for. It’s true kidney beans usually get rinsed, same with chickpeas, but I don’t rinse black beans nor pinto beans.
I believe dried kidney beans have been cooked and dried again to have the toxin removed.
Edit, not according to google. Most dried kidney beans still have the toxin.
To compare with potatoes – Dry beans are like raw potatoes. Dry kidney beans are raw.
Canned beans and canned potatoes are cooked.
Can a person even eat a dried kidney bean without breaking their teeth? I guess I’ve never worked with them dry, only dry pinto beans.
I’m assuming the difference is dry beans are raw, and canned beans are cooked and ready to go.
I’ll let someone else do the research on this. I’m beaned out for the week!
@JLeslie If I don’t rinse a can of legumes, I find that the canning liquid interferes with my meal’s flavor; there’s just too much salt. Also, I need to adjust a recipe for the extra liquid. At least for me, it’s always worth the small step of rinsing and draining.
Kidney beans are seeds that grow in a pod.
They can be cooked raw, or they can be dried and then cooked.
Much like any plant material on the Earth.
How can anyone not know this?
Not every plant material dries to the consistency of concrete.
@Love_my_doggie It depends what you are making. Black beans over rice usually people want the liquid. If you use a can of black beans to make soup, usually it calls for the liquid. If you make refried beans with pinto beans, you use the liquid. If you make minestrone soup or chili or three bean salad with kidney beans, you rinse them off.
Kidney beans are kidney beans.
Dry kidney beans are kidney beans that have been dried.
The beans are dried after harvesting and packed in plastic so they are shelf-stable. No one likes moldy beans.
@canidmajor I was doing exactly the opposite of comaparing kidney beans with canned potaotes….I was countering @Tropical_Willie who was comaparing canned x (which are cooked) and raw x whether dried or not dried.
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What at @flo? If they’re in a can they’re pre-cooked, soft and ready to eat. If they are in a plastic bag that feels and sounds like rocks when you pick it up, they’re dried.
@flo Your link didn’t work for me.
Why doesn’t the label on the packaging say dried kidney beans then?
You buy them dried or canned.
Unless you buy them straight from the farmer.
In order for kidney beans to be sold in a plastic bag, they have to be dried. So, why would they need to be labeled as dried? Drying is a NECESSARY part of the process.
What would happen if they were not dried? The moisture they have would cause massive mold growth when sealed in a plastic bag. And who would want to buy moldy beans?
Drying is an essential part of the process in order to be able to put them in those bags without problems, so no need to specify dried ; it’s understood.
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The edenfood linked worked. If you read the directions it talks about soaking the beans and cooking them. This is to rehydrate them.
@JLeslie There is no “dried” in the package.
On the “quick overview” on your link it says they are dried.
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Exactly, @flo. There is no “dried” in the package, so they did not list it as an ingredient.
Good catch.
What do you mean “there I’d no dried in the package”?
THEY ARE ALL DRIED. if they weren’t they’d be moldy after sitting on the shelf. They must remove the excess moisture to prevent spoiling.
What is it about this simple concept that is so difficult for you to understand?
Your first link didn’t work @flo. The second link showed the beans in a paper and plastic package. It’s obvious that they are dried. You have to cook them / rehydrate them yourself.
If they’re pre-cooked they have to be in a pressure sealed can to prevent spoiling.
May I ask what prompted this question?
@JLeslie But I’m thinking of coming across it in the store, esp. as a city person, i.e not someone who in some way is exposed to that information. someone who grows them or sells them is a nutritionist etc., And not someone who happens to have to bumped into it on the computer screen or read it in a magazine in the doctors office etc.
I was born in New York City and I’ve never seen a bean vine in my life.
Somehow the fact that fresh legumes are not shelf stable failed to escape me.
@flo Most people know. Especially people from cultures that eat a lot of beans. Many Latin Americans have them as a staple in their diet. Indians and parts of the Middle East also are accustomed to preparing and eating lentils and some other dried beans. Split pea soup is common in my culture, Judaism. Down in Louisiana red beans and rice. Texas chili.
Really, at this point, pretty much the entire US is familiar with eating beans, and many people know how to prepare them. The directions are on the package.
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@JLeslie But this is not about the people who already know, and by the way most people can be 99% or 51 percent. As well, I’m willing to bet a lot of people who have grown up cooking it don’t necessarily know that when it gets harvested, it is not dry as it is when it’s bought at the market place or that:
Heating to a temperature of 176 degrees Fahrenheit may increase the toxin levels by as much as five times,.... Crock pots often don’t reach temperatures greater than 167. Using dry heat to cook the beans does not appear to inactivate the toxin. ....”
Well, if you’re worried about it @flo, only buy the canned ones. They’re pre cooked.
Or follow the directions at the bottom of the article you compied your information from, but failed to credit.
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Anyway, not every food item that is feels dry has been dried. Plenty of examples of that I’m sure.
@flo…are these questions for reals, or are you just messing with us? Name a food item that feels dry that hasn’t been dried. Just one. All food was living at one time, be it plant or animal. All plants and animals need some amount of water to even exist.
Wow I’m so glad I posted this OP!
@Dutchess_III “Name a food item that feels dry that hasn’t been dried.” You could post that as an OP. I’ll bet you’ll get tons of examples.
@ibstubro “dried” is the name of an ingredient?
No, dried is when you bake or evaporate all the moisture out of something.
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