The liquid adds salt! it may also add thickening if the beans shed starch into it. Theere are all kinds of uses for garbanzo liquid, wwhich vegans use as an egg substitute (aquafaba). I don't know if cannellini goo is similarly interesting. I say do what you like.

Thanks, plllog.

I wondered about the sodium, so drained them, mostly.

plllog, I didn't know about the aquafaba. Interesting!

For the most part, I usually rinse/drain canned beans. I have a few soup recipes where I don't since I like the extra liquid, and, yes, sodium. I do think it depends on what you're making. Quality can vary with different brands, so tasting the liquid isn't a bad idea. I agree with plllog; do what works best for you.

This is what America's Test Kitchen says, including the aquafaba from plllog.

Here are a few times when you should drain and rinse beans:

• If one of our own recipes calls for it. If the ingredient list calls for “rinsed” canned beans, drain and rinse the beans to keep the liquid ratios right.
• If you’re vegan and you’re about to use canned chickpeas, go ahead and drain the liquid—but save that magic stuff. It’s called aquafaba and can be whipped like egg whites into meringues and other recipes.
• And if you’re medically advised to lower the sodium levels in your diet, then go ahead and rinse away some of the salt with the canning liquid. But salt enhances flavor, so if it’s not the doctor’s orders, skip the rinse.

drain and rinse

I absolutely hate the liquid from canned garbanzo beans, and so I never buy them. It has a horrible metallic taste to me. I would never save aquafaba from garbanzos - that's by far the worst part.

I only use dried cannellini beans as well, but the canned ones are not nearly as bad as canned garbanzo beans. I do not think it is necessary to rinse canned cannellini beans, and I would probably save the drained liquid, in case I needed it later.

If you are adding salt pork or any other salty ingredient, you might want to rinse the beans, but I think draining them well (and saving the liquid for later adjustments) would be sufficient.

I cook all dried beans in my pressure cooker, and even garbanzos get done in 20 minutes (not including cool-down time) - all other beans take less time.

I can occasionally find fresh garbanzos and (more often) fresh fava beans at my local Lebanese market. I've never looked for fresh cannellini beans, however. I like to make falafel with fresh fava beans.

Frankly, I don't like canned garbanzos either. There used to be a kind in glass jars with a kind of brine and a few bits of peppers that was excellent. So, when I was looking at vegan recipes, I did look into making one's own aquafaba. I didn't try it but it looks more like a chore than difficult. I have dried garbanzos if I need them, and do appreciate fresh. The Mexican markets have them often.

Not drained canned cannellini beans would be better, it adds flavor and thickness.

Depends....I use canned beans a lot. Garbanzos for hummos, drained but save the liquid and add if needed.

Black beans for soup....add liquid and all.....and I make a "many bean salad" with garbanzos red kidney, canelinni, pink kidney beans and navy beans....everything gets drained and rinsed and mixed with chopped onion, cucumber and dressed with lime and olive oil and tossed with lots of fresh "something"...parsley, cilantro, mint, basil....or a combo.

I cannot say on this polite forum what the insipid liquid of these canned bean remind me of.

I have a pressure cooker and an Instant Pot and pounds of various dried legumes, but I am usually very low on energy and coping with musculoskeletal issues and eeking by on ”fumes.” I quickly run out of tolerance and stamina, so, in a pinch (status quo) reach for the cans. But there is something about that gooey tasteless liquid that is revolting. I usually drain and rinse (well) the canned legumes. And, if I may say so, almost all canned chickpeas are disgusting tasting. In hummus, the garlic, tahini and olive oil, then fresh parsley help mask the glue (Le Page’s) taste.

I was making an invented lamb bone broth soup with white beans, onion, carrots, fresh rosemaryand a bit of sage, garlic then a boost of Better Than Bouillon chicken broth paste. A bit of leftover lamb.

It turned out okay, a calm homey soup. But, I’ve been migrating more towards ad hoc ramen with kick soups, so something simple and low key doesn’t speak to me much ;-)

Too subdued.

Here is the other soup I made:

This sort of standby.

Duck stock, shrimp, shiitake, sugar snap peas, ramen, sriracha, cilantro, greens, thai bird chilies, dash of toasted sesame oil, green onion. If I don’t finish the small pot of it, it’s actually delicious the next day ice cold (I defat and filter the duck stock). It’s also pretty good reheated. Serve with a few grain-seed crackers. Ahh, heaven.

PS I see I added some Chinese cabbage and the ribs to this batch. I seprate the ribs from the leaves. The Napa ribs give a nice soft crunch textural contrast.

Thank you for posting this. I've always thought that I don't like garbanzo beans, but I'm sure my introduction to them involved a can. I'll buy some dried and pressure cook them.

Dry, then soaked overnight, then cooked beans, will still produce a bit of 'gravy' but not as thick and slimy as tinned.

Salt is added to canned beans as a firming agent...at least that is what they say. Salt is absorbed into the beans, not just the goo. Besides all the added salt, beans from dried just taste better.

I remove my cooked beans from the 'gravy' with a spider/slotted spoon, not minding some of the liquid. I usually spice/season my beans so a bit of the liquid helps the spices cling.

I leave some beans in the pot, add a few cups of water, some grains, veg, sweet potato, etc. for a batch of dog food. The 'gravy' does have food value.

Dried beans soak up alot of water after soaking overnight. The bottom band on the ball jar is the amount of dried garbanzos.

I purchase directly from the farm. The field where they are grown and the name of the person packing that day is one the back of the bag for tracing if anything looks wrong. Very responsive customer service. I ordered five 5pound bags during lockdown that never showed up. E-mail said 'delivered'. I waited a bit before contacting Palouse. I had a box at my dooor in the blink of an eye. (i assumed at first it was the missing box that i planned to take to the firehouse). 25 pounds is alot of bean but 50🤪...

I also order grains, lentils, split peas

Then there is the environmental impact. Cans need to be manufactured. Beans need to be shipped to be processed. Then shipped to BigGrocery distribution warehouses. Then trucked again to individual grocery store loading docks, then handled again to be stocked on shelves.

I prefer straight from the farm to my door. I have water. USA grown and fresh.

Late to this - I didn't see it until now(?), but if I'm making soup or stew, I don't bother draining canned beans. The liquid does add body to the broth. I only drain when adding to non-soupy dishes, and only rinse when making bean salads. I save any drained bean liquid for adding to other soups/stews.

I like to think I'm not wasting extra nutrition, and I like that thick liquid.

I used to cook a lot of dry beans and freeze in 1 pint batches for later, but now I mainly use canned, since I don't need so much. I do agree that canned garbanzos are not as nice as home cooked. They seem a lot more hard to me.

I do exactly, as Carol says. I only rinse for ’dry’ dishes. Chick peas aren’t grown here so ’farm to my door’ isn’t an option. I sometimes soak and pressure cook but for the small quantities we use cans are just more convenient. I’m not sure how the environmental impacts of the two stack up for us. They all have to be imported. Every can we use is recycled and on a shelf in the pantry they aren't using any energy. This article has an interesting discussion of the environmental pros and cons. Obviously, throwing away the liquid from the can would increase the negative environmental impact. https://www.sustained.kitchen/latest/2021/5/26/which-is-more-sustainable-dried-beans-vs-canned-beans

If you graduated high school in the late 70's and University in the early 80's, that was the new wave of Coops and bulk selling. Excellent one in Brooklyn but the one near me is a disaster. Excellent CSA but they grow the same crops i do. Though glad it exists for those that cannot garden.

The 70's was also the time environmental debates bacame so common. A whole list of them like the paper towel vs cloth, water waste---bath vs shower, dish washer vs hand washing. Energy conservation. Family of 6 dinner conversations. I was probaly 8 when the cans stopped. Mother has never been much of a cook so the cans were a convenience. She adjusted with dads help.

Probably hundreds of articles on can vs dried. Reading the link above, i kept thinking the author either doesn't cook or uses canned beans and found an article in her/his favor. The recipe did not load at first. Did not realize it was a food blog...and she uses cans in the recipe. Her conclusion was from standing in the grocery isle deciding the plastic bag was worse than the tin. Most will disagree because the tractor trailer and the shipping container is 75% water.

Anyway, who cares, 😜. I would use the whole can but watch the salt especially if your other ingredients include stock or broth, tinned or a carton...could be another salt bomb.

OK, maybe I shouldn’t have said they aren’t grown here. Perhaps I should have said they’re very rarely grown here. Hodmedods are a small specialist pulse company who have only recently started sellling British chick peas. Note that the first ever commercial crop was harvested on a single farm in 2019. They can only provide a miniscule proportion of what is needed and they are at least three times the price of imported chickpeas. The link explains the challenge of growing them here. https://hodmedods.co.uk/products/british-chickpeas 

Wow, thanks to all of you for such helpful information. I’m short on freezer space, but it’s good to know that freezing is an option.

Here is another question/s. I have a lot of dried legumes that I’ve had for YEARS, stored in mostly a cold dark cellar. I assume (??) they will be okay to use, but may be hard, very dry. so, to use them, is there anything to be aware of if I soak them overnight before cooking.

I have an Instant Pot, that offers some measure of pressurized cooking. I also have a small ressure cooker. Often, I don’t plan enough in advance, but that is where the ability to freeze cooked beans come in.

I usually toss the soaking water and rinse the beans.

Soaking is definitely the thing for very dry, and pressure cooking can help get the moisture to the center. If they still have their color they should still be nutritious, but if they're hard dry they might never get palatable.

A test you can do for really old beans... try sprouting them. Take a few and try sprouting them on a plate or in a jar like one would to test seed germintion or make sprouts. If they want to swell nicely, crack open, even get some wanting to sprout. You can do a good soak and cook them up. I probably wouldn't try pressure cooking from dry though.

If they don't want to swell, and rather molder. They are past prime. You can try doing a good soak followed by a speed soak with the pressure cooker. Then cook them up. How good they turn out I can't say. Depends on how old they are and how they are stored.

I'm one who doesn't mind canned garbanzos. I use them in salads or pasta e fagioli.

That said, wish I had read this before my recent Rancho Gordo order. I would have added a pound of chickpeas.

Couple weeks ago I cooked a pound of Royal Coronas. OMG! What a creamy taste treat! Ate some with just olive oil and Pecorino. Used others in pasta e fagioli and froze the rest. Tomorrow I'm using the frozen ones ini a tomato-based gratin with Thai basil.

I buy canned garbanzo beans, we like them in salads. I was buying Goya brand and rinsing them. Then I bought a can of Wegmans brand and the liquid in the can is just water, not that yucky stuff, so now I always buy the Wegmans

In soups, I don't mind a little bean broth. I am torn between rinsing to get rid of all the salt, and not rinsing for the je ne sai quoi that the bean broth adds to soups. I compromise, I drain, but don't get excessive about it. . . .