A lady at the Family Dollar in Waco told me I was ruining my rice and beans by rinsing the beans too much

She said I was washing away all the flavor and starch, and after I tried it her way with just one rinse, the beans actually held together better in my burrito bowls. I used to rinse them like 4 times until the water ran clear, but now I only do it once and the texture is way more creamy. Has anyone else gotten cooking advice from a random shopper that actually worked out?

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1 Comment

carr.daniel1mo ago

My mom used to rinse beans until the water ran totally clear, same as you did, and then she wondered why her chili was always watery and thin. That lady at Family Dollar might have saved your burrito bowls, but I'm not sure she's right for all recipes. Over-rinsing does strip a lot of starch, sure, but that starch is what makes the liquid thick and gravy-like in a proper stew or soup. If you're making something where you want the broth to be rich and coat the spoon, like a hearty bean soup or a pot of pintos with ham hocks, you actually want that starch to stay. A single rinse is fine if you're doing a quick bowl or something, but for a long-simmered pot of beans, I'd argue you need at least two or three rinses to get rid of the excess dirt and foam without washing all the good stuff away.