Refried Beans Analysis

Made refried pinto beans with just salt, bacon grease, and a pastry blender.

Realized that consistency really does matter — it makes it more smooth. Next time get an immersion blender. Also learned that there is more to really good beans than just fat and salt. Next time, I ought to try this recipe:

http://www.adn.com/2014/05/03/3454503/alaska-from-scratch-for-cinco.html

Crockpot Refried Beans
Serves 8-10 people

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry pinto beans (black beans also work, if you prefer)
• 9 cups water
• 5 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• half of a yellow onion, peeled, but left whole
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• Enough reserved juices from the pot to achieve desired consistency

Instructions

1. Place dry beans in the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour water over top. Add the bouillon cubes, garlic powder, and salt. Place the onion half right on top of the beans. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until beans are very soft and fall apart when mashed (if you undercook your beans, they will be grainy and difficult to mash).

1. Remove the onion and drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Return the beans to the pot, add the melted butter and the milk. Blend with a hand immersion blender until creamy and smooth, adding reserved juices from the pot until desired consistency is achieved (more milk can also be added if you like them creamy). Note: the beans firm up as they cool, so make them looser than you think you need to. Serve promptly. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Notes:

For spicy beans, add fresh jalapeño to the pot. For cheesy beans, top with jack cheese after blending.

These can also be mashed with a potato-masher (for more rustic-style beans) or in batches in a blender or food processor for smoother beans.