I've never had pintos turn out bitter. What are you putting into them besides salt and butter?

It has been my experience that if you don't cook them at a rolling boil, just barely simmer, they turn out to the texture you are talking about, however the soup/broth will not be as thick.

Well, I've researched a little before and found that other people have the same problem. I suppose the bitter taste could also be called metallic. But, I've cooked them in stainless steel as well as cast iron and crock pots. They seem to turn out much better in a crock pot (as far as texture goes) but still always have a slightly bitter aftertaste. Maybe I should add a bit of sugar or molasses or something?

beverly, sometimes I just make them plain, others I add onions and garlic. I always wait until near the end to add salt or seasoned salt or bacon or sausage, tomatoes, etc.

Could it be a type of pinto that is better than others? What brands do you all buy? Ours is just the HEB brand but we do have some other stores to purchase from if we want.

Try to buy pinto beans that are not dark, but rather a creamy tan color. The darker pinto beans are, the older they are, and this could be the cause of the bitterness.

I avoid the whole cooking beans thing by milling pinto beans into flour in my Nutrimill, and make "instant" refried beans from bean flour. I'd suggest the book, "Country Beans", by Rita Bingham for more information.

The link below gives some recipes from the "Country Beans" book...(method #2), as well as some from Bob's Red Mill. I've used all the recipes posted at the blog.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: As Simply As We Can - Blog

Grainlady may be onto something with the age of the bean, not sure. She is right on about not buying the dark colored ones though. I only add butter and salt to mine and they have never been bitter. I'm a purist when it comes to many foods and pintos is one of them. Anything more can be added at the table. Many times I do add some chili powder at the table.

As far as it being metallic I doubt that could be it. I cook mine in an aluminum pressure cooker most of the time and do not get a metallic taste.

I buy whatever brand the store I am going to at the time has, so I've used many brands and do not believe that could be the problem.

It's still a mystery to me as to why they are bitter. I don't believe it could be different types of pintos causing it. Aren't they all the same type? The only thing I know to suggest is for you to make sure they are light in color and perhaps try a different brand. Hope you have better luck with them in the future.

Why not just buy a different kind of beans? I usually use black or kidney beans for refried beans.

After reading all the responses, the only thing I can say, is it possible that something in your water causes the problem?

trsinc, if it's any help, I always buy HEB pintos and mine don't turn out bitter.

I use the recipe from the Pioneer Woman's blog, and they turn out perfectly. Before using her recipe, I never had much luck with beans, either.

I hope you find out what's making them taste bitter.

Well, maybe it IS our water. Thanks, puna, I never thought of that. Next time I make them I'll use all bottled water and see if that makes a difference. I find that most white beans I cook also have a slight bitterness (except for Limas). The white ones aren't as bad as the pintos, though. I never detect bitterness in lentils or green peas... Weird. I'd say it's just my taste buds but hubby agrees they come out bitter.

Thanks everybody for your thoughts. And thanks for the book rec, Grainlady. I've been thinking about you lately, as a matter of fact. I'm heading to an Indian specialty store tomorrow and hope to find some lentil and chickpea flour. Doc says no carbs at dinner for hubby so I'm looking for some alternative bread choices.

T

If it's the water, I wonder why other things don't taste bitter? You'd think coffee, tea, soup, etc would pick up the same flavor.

I'm not saying that's not the reason, I'm just thinking out loud.

Think out loud all you want :-). That's how problems get solved.

My first thought is that if it is the water, it could be a chemical reaction between whatever compounds are in the beans and whatever stuff is in the water. We get a water report from time to time on what they put in it. With warnings for people who have certain diseases, etc., not to drink it.

Have you tried discarding the soaking water? I always do, to help with gassiness. Maybe it would help bitterness too.
I boil one minute, soak one hour, then cook in new water.

Yep, that's why I'm looking for a filter. Our water's crazy high in chlorination, and that's not good for those with thyroid problems. Of course, then there is the occasional arsenic...we won't talk about that.

I'd be tempted to make two batches, one with a different brand of beans and tap water, and one with the same brand of beans and bottled water. Small batches, of course. :)

I don't think it's the soaking water. I stopped doing that ages ago, and we can't tell any difference in flavor or aftereffects. In fact, I've found it only takes about half an hour more cooking time if they aren't pre-soaked at all.

I second miele71's mention of the recipe on the Pioneer Woman's blog. I made a batch for a crowd of 100+ in the fall and her technique and recipe were perfect. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for the basic recipe.) I didn't soak them and used my well water.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pioneer Woman's Refried Pinto Beans

Beanthere, I never soak beans either, I haven't for years.

I haven't had a problem with bitter pinto beans either, but mine are generally pretty fresh, they are grown and packaged about 30 miles from my house, I try to always buy the local beans.

I also think that Grainlady might have hit the problem, old beans can taste different. I do hope it's just something as simple as your water or old beans.

Annie

I always bring beans to a full boil, change the water, replace with warm water, bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a very low simmer. I also add a couplen of garlic cloves and a couple of dry red peppers. Simmer until beans are tender before I add salt. No one has ever complained of bitter beans but I can imagine if the beans were old they could be bitter. I don't add oil or butter the first day. They are perfect right out of the pot. The next day I will add oil, pref, evoo, and simmer a bit to thicken the broth or mash them a bit. I just use tap water. My MIL made the best beans ever using this method but hers were infinitely better because she cooked them in a small earthenware cookpot.

For what it's worth, I've started to soak my pinto beans with a small handful of baking soda in the water, rinse them really well, then use fresh water to slow cook them... They come out pretty much whole with a tender skin and almost sweet...

Rita

If water needs to be added during cooking, use boiling hot water. Cold water causes the skins to split. I too like whole beans to be tender but not split.

Jim

How funny this thread popped up today. I was just thinking about it as I was sorting beans for soup!

I'm making 4 bean soup and have all the beans in different pots since they all seem to take different times to cook. I used bottled water but did not presoak and throw out the water. We'll see how the pintos turn out. I made sure to pick out the dark ones. There were about 10 of those in a half pound.

terrapots, are you psychic? lol

Anxious to hear if the bottled water made a difference.

I just recently read instructions for making beans by adding a pinch of baking soda to the water. Some water tastes metallic to begin with and since pinto beans are mild tasting the water may be adding something to the mix.

The verdict is in and I think water does make BIG a difference. At least on this batch anyway. I did not do a side by side test with tap and bottled, though.

As a side note I've always used, for the last 10 - 15 years, water filtered in a Brita pitcher. Not just straight from the tap. It's only been since we moved to this house in 2001 that I started making beans regularly. I do not recall having the bitter problem before, but I made them so seldom, if at all, that I cannot say for sure.

Anyway, maybe the water was it or maybe the fact that I picked out the dark beans. I might do a test some day just to see. And, I may try the baking soda as well.

Thanks, all.

Try soaking the beans overnight, drain and replace the water. Add fresh water and cook until about half way done. Drain (and taste it when you do, I bet it will have the taste you don't like), add fresh water and whatever seasoning you want and cook until done. I cook red beans this way and since I started doing pintos the same I can't go back.

I am a retired chemist who experiments with cooking occasionally. I find that nearly all beans contain a bitter component that can be removed by boiling the dried beans in water for about a quarter to a half hour, drain, then repeat. It is important to use good water, too. When I have done this extraction two times, I add chicken broth to the drained, still-hot beans and cook to tenderness. When they are done, I let them sit in the pot liquor for at least several hours, preferably overnight. To avoid spoilage, you can set them outdoors on cold nights. Otherwise, just put a lid on them and don't open it for several hours. You can add a dash of vinegar to help keep them from spoiling, but not enough to affect the flavor. As for seasoning, I like cooking the beans in the last stage with country ham bits. I add garlic, artificial smoke flavor, Cavender's seasoning mix, and sometimes some truffle salt.

this post is kind of old but i had exactly the same problem when i first started cooking pinto beans--i'm a good cook so i imagine no one ever thought to tell me this, but part of it was old beans. i always bought pre-packaged and it never occurred to me that they would sell old beans, plus no one ever told me that means they're old.

i think what causes it is there are certain beans among the old ones that never plump up after you soak them, even overnight. so i just got in the habit of sorting them first, then soaking, then sorting them again afterward and throwing away the little hard ones. that cured the slight weird bitter taste.

i recently bought beans from a bulk bin and noticed how much lighter in color they are. there are a lot more broken ones but no dirt clods or rocks, and many fewer weird looking beans.

i do the baking soda, multiple soaks thing, then i cook them with an onion. i don't salt until right before they finish cooking because that will make them tough. i also add about 1/2 tsp. of cumin per 1 lb. of dried beans. i like cayenne pepper but not everyone does so i leave out the hot stuff. i tried it with garlic once and maybe i used too much because i didn't like it.

I would be willing to bet that grainlady and cinderflower have it exactly right. I have been cooking pinto beans for 40 years and never had any problems until today. A friend of mine gave me a bag of beans that they had gotten at a food bank. I cooked them and they were very bitter. They are much darker and a little smaller than the ones I usually buy at the chain supermarket. I feel sure it is because they are very old. It is possible that they are a different variety than the lighter ones, but why would a farmer plant an inferior variety? I feel sure it is because they are old and that causes them to be bitter.

P.S. I added some sugar and lemon juice and it took about 90% of the bitterness away.

Nothing like a bad batch of old beans to make you swear off of them for good! I made a batch of yellow beans last week and about half of them never got soft. I'm not a fan of pinto beans, I haven't been able to make a good batch from scratch. I just routinely sub the pink beans, roman beans or red beans nowdays. I dunno what it is with the pinto beans but I haven't liked them when I have made them.

When you do home food storage like I do, old beans can be a challenge if you don't rotate your stock in a timely manner. Add to that, you can't always be sure when your beans were harvested and how long, and under what conditions, they have been warehoused before you purchased them and place them into storage. Beans store best in cool temperatures away from heat and light.

Since the original posting of this thread I've added two more methods for preparing them to my arsenal of choices. The first method is sprouting them before cooking and the second method is brining.

"Sprouting decreases the total carb content and the starch content, increases the dietary fiber and increases the digestibility." Sprouting beans takes the "noise" out of them. If the beans won't sprout well, then they are too old for cooking using standard cooking methods and I'll mill them into bean flour and use them that way. I now sprout all lentils before cooking to increase the nutrition, and I will also sprout them and then dehydrate them for even faster cooking times.

Brining is a method I learned watching America's Test Kitchen (link below). I especially like brining when I use the beans whole in a salad or entree and I want a creamy soft bean that doesn't blow apart during cooking.

A couple other things to note after re-reading this thread - the minerals in hard water affect beans and adding baking soda is a way to neutralize hard water. However, "Amounts of baking soda over 1âÂÂ8 teaspoon per cup of beans may destroy the thiamine (Vitamin B1) in beans. Thiamine is a valuable nutrient and one reason why beans have a reputation for being nutritious." So using bottled or filtered water (not distilled) may be the best answer for anyone who has hard water to contend with.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Brine Beans

Thank you Grainlady for sharing your knowledge, I am sure going to use a lot of your tips!

Silvia

I prefer kidney beans and use left overs to make refried beans.

Here is how I cook mine. I use a one pound package of red kidney beans. Once they are rinsed and picked over....you can let them sit and swell up but I usually don't.
I add a chopped onion, a can of petite diced tomatoes, 3 or 4 cans of beef broth, a couple of tablespoons of cumin seeds, and cook until they are almost done. Then I add two rings of any good quality, kind of coarse ground link sausage. I get mine at the local farm store. I slice it in rounds and add at the end, so it doesn't over cook and shrivel up. You still get the flavor.

When done, I put a big handful of chopped fresh cilantro in them and serve over rice. Then when I make refried beans, I just mash some up, spread on crisp corn tortillas and top with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and shredded cheese. Salsa on the side. Good eating!

I noticed that my pinto beans were coming out bitter every time too. I asked my friend from work that is from Salvador, and she told me to throw the water out after they are soft and then put in whatever suace I use after that and just add water, after getting the butter water out, and that worked perfectly.

Never presoak your beans that makes them bitter. Just boil them with onions and a fat ...like veg oil. Do not salt them until finished cooking . If u add salt before they’re cooked it toughens the skins. - See Diana Kennedy cookbook

what a lot of good tips on here! I've been trying to cook pinto beans in my IP and don't like what I get. the taste is good but the skins split and don't mash up enough to blend in. I use filtered water and rinse at least once. was wondering if I was getting old beans! but I'll try the part about boiling them first and then changing the water etc and see if that helps the skins. then if not, I'll try other tips here. I've only been making 1 cup at a time until I figure it out. thx everyone! I want to be able to stop buying the canned refried beans. I did like the taste of my homemade ones better - just not the texture.

and I think the next time I buy the beans I'll buy them at the local Mexican food market. They probably have a quicker turn over.

Steph, fresh dried pintos are easy to spot because fresh beans are very light in color. Darker color = old beans. I was just in Mexico and the beans in the market looked very fresh and light colored. Much lighter in color than any I have ever found in the supermarket here in the states. Kinda' doubt that border patrol will allow you to cross with them so I didn't try. You can order 'new crop' pintos in the fall direct from the growers. One year, a friend of my dad's got beans fresh out of the combine (harvester) in Kansas. Alternatively, if you have a good Mexican food restaurant that cooks beans from scratch, you might persuade them to sell you some of their stock. One year, after eating really good beans in a local restaurant, I got the owner to order a big sack (25#'s) from his supplier.

I always store pintos in the freezer in ziplock Mylar bags (recycled crouton packaging.)

Source fresh beans. Total game changer. All methods/helpful hints above do not apply. Palouse, WashingtonState. And RanchoGordo, Cali. Or support your local farmers if that applies in your area.

my Rancho Gordo Pink Beans are very bitter . I think they aare old as they took 3-4 hours to cook,