My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili
tonight. I was surprised to find chili beans, kidney beans (both
light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures looked
pretty much the same to me.

Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item
that folks call by different names? If they are different, do they
have distinctive flavors or textures?

Bob Simon wrote:
> My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili
> tonight. I was surprised to find chili beans, kidney beans (both
> light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures looked
> pretty much the same to me.
>
> Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item
> that folks call by different names? If they are different, do they
> have distinctive flavors or textures?


Botanically, they're different. They're slightly different varieties of
closely related species-- beans. Culinarily, they're awfully similar.
Maybe there's someone out there who could tell the difference in a blind
taste test. I'm not sure I could, but I haven't tried. They look
different raw. Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys.
EXCEPT, when you're talking about something this similar, people start
mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there
ever was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the
country and learn it is called a small red bean somewhere else. That
leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be accurate, but
there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.

As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
a preference.

--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:

> As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
> another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
> a preference.


Pinto beans are best for chili.

--
Best
Greg

Hark! I heard "Gregory Morrow" > say:
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> > As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
> > another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
> > a preference.

> Pinto beans are best for chili.

I, OTOH, like light red kidney beans for chili... :-)


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

"Gregory Morrow" > wrote in
message link.net...
>
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> > As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
> > another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
> > a preference.
>
>
> Pinto beans are best for chili.
>
> --
> Best
> Greg

I usually use a mix of pintos and red kidney beans for chili...last time,
though, I used just anasazi beans. Wonderful!

Paula

Julia Altshuler wrote:

> Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys.
> EXCEPT, when you're talking about something this similar, people start
> mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there
> ever was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the
> country and learn it is called a small red bean somewhere else. That
> leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be accurate, but
> there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.

Most of the commercial "chili beans" are pintos with added spices, which
makes them different from plain canned beans. He should get the ones
labeled that way, since that's what he was sent for.

> As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
> another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
> a preference.

Not necessarily. Many people's chili recipes consist of ground beef with
a few cans of the chili beans dumped in. If you try to substitute plain
beans, then the product will be awfully bland. Not that it would be any
great shakes with the chili beans.



Brian Rodenborn

On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 20:10:47 GMT, Julia Altshuler
> wrote:

>Bob Simon wrote:
>> My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili
>> tonight. I was surprised to find chili beans, kidney beans (both
>> light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures looked
>> pretty much the same to me.
>>
>> Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item
>> that folks call by different names? If they are different, do they
>> have distinctive flavors or textures?
>
>
>Botanically, they're different. They're slightly different varieties of
>closely related species-- beans. Culinarily, they're awfully similar.
>Maybe there's someone out there who could tell the difference in a blind
>taste test. I'm not sure I could, but I haven't tried. They look
>different raw. Chili beans are smaller and rounder than kidneys.
>EXCEPT, when you're talking about something this similar, people start
>mixing up the names until no one is sure of the official title if there
>ever was one. I might call something a chili bean in one part of the
>country and learn it is called a small red bean somewhere else. That
>leaves the marketers some leeway. They can try to be accurate, but
>there will still be someone to tell them they're wrong.
>
>As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
>another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
>a preference.
>
>--Lia

Thanks. What about light red vs dark red? Are these different
varieties too?

--
Bob Simon
remove x from domain for private replies

j.j. wrote:

> Hark! I heard "Gregory Morrow"
....
>> Pinto beans are best for chili.
>
> I, OTOH, like light red kidney beans for chili... :-)
>
>

I like a combination of kidney beans and black beans.

---jkb

--
Daniel Jackson: "Tastes like chicken."
Captain Samantha Carter: "So what's wrong with it?"
Daniel Jackson: "It's macaroni and cheese."

PENMART01 wrote:

wrote:

> Black beans are best.
>
> Beans, beans... good for your heart... the more yoose eat the more yoose fart!
>
> Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .
>
>
>
> ---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
> ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
> Sheldon
> ````````````
> "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
>

Personally, I just use what I have on hand. If they're red, fine.
Black, no problem here with that either. If I were to go out intent on
making chili I'd get the red kidney beans.

Oh, and Shel... I heard it somewhat differently. It had to do with
being a musical fruit but I digress. ;-)

--
Steve

Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with it.

Hark! I heard say:
> PENMART01 wrote:
>
> wrote:
>
> > Black beans are best.
> >
> > Beans, beans... good for your heart... the more yoose eat the more yoose
> fart!
> >
> > Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .

> Personally, I just use what I have on hand. If they're red, fine.
> Black, no problem here with that either. If I were to go out intent on
> making chili I'd get the red kidney beans.
>
> Oh, and Shel... I heard it somewhat differently. It had to do with
> being a musical fruit but I digress. ;-)

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot, the better you feel
So let's have beans with every meal"

Unknown


You knew someone would post it...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

On 20 Jan 2004 11:57:25 -0800, (Bob Simon)
wrote:

>My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili
>tonight. I was surprised to find chili beans, kidney beans (both
>light red and dark red), and red beans because all the pictures looked
>pretty much the same to me.
>
>Are these different types of beans or just a way to market an item
>that folks call by different names? If they are different, do they
>have distinctive flavors or textures?

'Chili beans' usually have some added flavoring and/or sauce. Pintos
are good for chile. Shoot, almost *any* dried bean is good for chile.
You failed to mention navy (sea-going, not color), cannellini, pink,
cranberry, black, great northern, etc., etc.

Yes, they are different -- in color, size, traditional uses, 'though
only mildly different, IMHO, in flavor and texture, once cooked. 'Red
beans and rice' wouldn't be the same with white beans. New England
baked beans means (usually) some variety of white beans (pea beans,
great northern, navy). No, it's not marketing hype -- it's catering
to personal preference and tradition.

>Frogleg mumbled:
>
>(Bob Simon) wrote:
>
>>My wife asked me to pick up a couple of cans of beans for chili
>>tonight.
>
>'Chili beans' usually have some added flavoring and/or sauce.

Then you're speaking of a recipe, not a type of bean... there is no such bean
as a chili bean. duh

http://www.americanbean.org



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"Gregory Morrow" > wrote in message hlink.net>...
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> > As for chili tonight, they'll all work. Try one variety this time and
> > another the next. Decide if you can tell the difference and if you have
> > a preference.
>
>
> Pinto beans are best for chili.

We like all kinds of beans so when I make chili I used three 19 oz
cans of mixed beans. Yum!

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:36:25 GMT,
(j.j.) wrote:

)
>
> "Beans, beans, the musical fruit
> The more you eat, the more you toot
> The more you toot, the better you feel
> So let's have beans with every meal"
>
> Unknown
>
>
> You knew someone would post it...

Yeah, but you quoted it wrong.

"So eat your beans at every meal."



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

Hark! I heard icu2@pipeline dot com say:
> On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 17:36:25 GMT,
> (j.j.) wrote:
>
> )
> >
> > "Beans, beans, the musical fruit
> > The more you eat, the more you toot
> > The more you toot, the better you feel
> > So let's have beans with every meal"
> >
> > Unknown
> >
> >
> > You knew someone would post it...
>
> Yeah, but you quoted it wrong.
>
> "So eat your beans at every meal."

"Wrong" is in the ear of the listener, based on what you grew up
with. Kinda like the "greasy, grimey, gopher guts" song; there are
several varieties, I think they're mostly regional.

> Practice safe eating - always use condiments

I love this sig, don't ever change it...


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

Steve Calvin > wrote in message ws.com>...
> PENMART01 wrote:
>
> wrote:
>
> > Black beans are best.
> >
>
> Personally, I just use what I have on hand. If they're red, fine.
> Black, no problem here with that either. If I were to go out intent on
> making chili I'd get the red kidney beans.
>
> Oh, and Shel... I heard it somewhat differently. It had to do with
> being a musical fruit but I digress. ;-)

What if all you have on hand are red and black jelly beans?
Could extra savory spices be added to cut the sweetness? If you boiled
them in water first would it cut a lot of the sugar?
If beans are musical fruit and most fruit is sweet.............

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