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So 30+ Year Old Pinto Beans Really DO Go Bad…

pinto-beansI figured I would briefly mention that over Halloween my mother-in-law wanted to make a huge pot of chili for all of us including some friends which is a normal occurrence for her. Anyway, she didn’t have any recently purchased bags or smaller cans of pinto beans so she dragged out a large 5-gallon bucket of pinto beans that was packed back in 1983 (there’s a sticker with the date) and even though the bucket hadn’t been opened before now the pinto beans were no good.

Of course, they soaked the beans overnight in cold water like normal and even spent ALL day cooking the chili but to no avail. They even tried again the next day for a few hours but eventually gave up and decided that it was pointless. The thing is that they went ahead and put the bucket of beans back in storage. When I asked why they put the bucket back instead of just tossing it, she said that if they were hungry enough they would still eat the beans. Perhaps.

I wonder if the beans had been packed better initially (such as in mylar bags) and with appropriate oxygen absorbers (I don’t know if the bucket had any and forgot to ask) then maybe they would have been better? Again, I don’t know. But, this does go to show that you cannot always count on such long term food and is yet another reason why the FIFO method is so useful.

Have a wonderful day!

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Damian Brindle

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Comments

22 responses to “So 30+ Year Old Pinto Beans Really DO Go Bad…”

  1. Rob

    I guess we must be doing something wrong. ALL of the beans we cook, at least once a week, are 2 – 3 years old with an occasional 4 or 5 year old bag (due to the amount we have in storage and when a ‘new’ bag gets rotated out) we cook in a crock pot, normally 8 – 12 hours, without presoaking. And they always come out soft, tasty and wonderful. We don’t do anything special for storage either. We store them in their original paper sack (50 lbs. pinto beans from Sam’s Club), in a tall kitchen trash bag, in a plastic bucket with a lid. We’ve never had any problems with hard beans after cooking…..ever. And, a long time ago, we didn’t even keep them in a bucket. Sometimes not even in a trash bag. BTW…don’t give me any crap about the bags being treated with insecticide…there’s not enough in one to be a concern. Wish I knew why so many have had trouble with their beans when we haven’t. Guess we’re just lucky….for the last 20 years.

    Reply
  2. SunflowerSue

    I saw someone on a cooking show (I think it was Mario Batali sp?) who said they soaked their beans two nights in a row. Sometimes I get busy and instead of cooking the beans after 8 hours, they end up soaking longer. I also rinse them sometimes after they have soaked for a while and then soak some more. That seems to relieve the flatulence factor.

    My other thought for beans that won’t get soft is to grind them and make a bean flour out of them. Experimenting with a 5 gallon bucket of beans instead of just throwing them away would be worth the effort.

    Reply
  3. T.R.

    1983…….yeah , a lot of things have changed sense then , better materials and methods . Then again , if I remember correctly , almost everything made in the 80’s was crappy , poor quality .

    Reply
    1. millenniumfly

      …especially the haircuts!

      Reply
      1. T.R.

        haircuts and music lol.

        Reply
  4. Cindy

    Great thread! Hank mentioned that after 4 months any bean won’t cook soft without the preasure cooking treatment (not a big deal).

    My question is, if Mylar sand O2 absorbers do not seem to matter and the beans are not in bulk, but pre packaged, does the Mylar add any benefit to counter the cost/effort of the repackage into Mylar (other than lining the larger storage bucket)?
    Example.. Bobs band products version of packaging.

    Reply
    1. millenniumfly

      The pinto beans we used were not packed in mylar (just a five gallon plastic container) and I’m not sure whether it had an o2 absorber originally. I would suggest that anything you can do to slow the aging process is a good idea and oxygen is a big problem, probably the biggest.

      Reply
    2. Hank

      Really great thread! Beans stored in commercially nitrogen packed #10 cans THEORETICALLY have the longest storage life of years (? – not tested by me.) Beans self-packed in SEALED Mylar bags in buckets with or without dry ice / oxygen absorbers should last longer than beans packed dry in buckets without mylar.

      As even I, who LOVE my beans, have a problem consuming 25 pounds of beans in a shorter time, it is not an issue to pull out the pressure canner and pre-treat the beans for the 45 minutes. I really love the suggestion to can in jars and use as needed – I will try that for smaller portions as I usually go the crock pot route and can the leftovers.

      Reply
  5. Howard

    Try this forsoftening old beans. If you are attempting to cook old beans of any type, you can try the following method to help soften old beans and speed up their cooking.
    First, sort and rinse the beans. Bring three cups of water to boil for each cup of beans. Add the beans to the boiling water and bring to a rolling boil for two minutes. Take the beans off the stove. Next, add 3/8 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) for each cup of beans, cover and soak for 1 hour or more. Extra baking soda may be required for older beans. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Cover the beans with water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender. Do not add salt or other ingredients until the beans have softened adequately

    Reply
    1. Hank

      I know LDS recommends this method, but every time I have tried it, 1) it did not work as the beans stayed mildly crunchy even after an all day simmer, and 2) the beans tasted like crap.

      The only fool proof guaranteed method I’ve ever come across is the pressure cooker trick, and it might take up to an hour, so have enough water in it at the outset.

      Or else grind them up to bean flour – Google for recipes.

      Reply
      1. millenniumfly

        You’re right, Hank. Looks like the consensus is to use a pressure canner or there isn’t much you can do but eat crunchy beans. 😉

        Reply
  6. John R

    Run them through your blender and then mix with water to make refried beans. I suppose WTSH’s beat on them with hammer to make it to where you can mix with water and fry.

    Reply
  7. Shirley Toney

    Beans naturally get drier as they age even in storage. I pressure can mine when they reach that stage. Just put 2/3 cup of dry beans in a pint or 1 1/3 cups of dry bean in quart jar. Fill with water leaving 1 inch head space. If you want salt, add 1/2 tsp. to pints or 1 tsp. to quarts. Can at 10 pounds pressure 65 min. for pints or 75 min. for quarts (adjust according to altitude) Now you have beans ready to go when you need them.

    Reply
  8. Grace Brooks

    FYI. I can remember as a kid my mom received some government subsidy foods….peanut butter that tasted like someone put sand in it-later found out they made it with shell and all and the infamous beans. The dried beans my mom would simmer for days over the wood fire in the fireplace outside. They never had bugs in them just good old rock hard beans. Why it happens no one knows. But if you are hungry enough you will joyfully chew up those hambone soaked rocks!!!

    Reply
  9. Elaine Brock

    What exactly went wrong with the beans? Did they have bugs,mold or turn to rocks?

    Reply
    1. millenniumfly

      They were simply too hard… like you stopped cooking a few hours too early. But, they kept cooking the beans ALL day long and still no change.

      Reply
  10. Hank

    If ANY dry bean is more than 4 – 6 months old, even if stored in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, even after soaking and cooking for 8 hours they will still be “crunchy” although completely edible without ill effects, but nevertheless unpalatable to many due to the texture.

    Solution? (BTW don’t try the baking soda trick makes them taste terrible.)
    Use a pressure cooker on the old beans after soaking overnight. I have cooked 3 year old beans in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes and they come out soft and ready to slow cook and season. Works every time.

    This is also a quick and dirty way to get beans ready in a hurry, say under 2 hours if necessary.

    Reply
    1. millenniumfly

      Thanks for the suggestion… guess I’ll have to drag out that pressure cooker!

      Reply
  11. grayfox114

    I don’t know that these beans go bad, as far as the actual vitamin and nutrient content, but they do NO become inedible! Most of the problems with stored beans have to do with the fact that they stay hard, even after cooking. To remedy this, cook them as normal, and then place them in a pressure cooker for 10-15 mins! They get as soft as, well, they become very eatable and edible. Just saying….so don’t trash your stash!

    Reply
  12. Melinda

    Could you grind them into a flour to use in baked goods or as a thickener?

    Reply
    1. millenniumfly

      That’s a good thought, Melinda… will have to try that.

      Reply
    2. T.R.

      sort of like mesquite beans .

      Reply

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