Thanks for enlightening me on what I should name the food that I eat. You don't want me to call my chili 'chili' because it has beans? Sure thing boss. I'll call it chilii, and I can guarantee it'll taste much better than your hot dog sauce does.
No it won't. You just haven't had good chili. That sucks. It's not that I don't like beans, I do. They just shouldn't be cooked or prepared in the chili. Adding them after the dish is done would probably be better anyways because beans don't really soak up the liquid or spices like beef does.
I've had plenty of bean-less chili. I don't like it better.
You haven't had good chili con carne. That sucks for you.
Yes I have. I like chili with beans better. Whatever your next response is, my followup will be something like this:
"Yep I'm sure, but I like chili with beans better."
If Beans are a "Meat substitute", then logic dictates that Chili can have Beans.
Game. Set. Match!
Beans are fundamentally different than beef in that they cannot absorb the fluid and spices as well as the beef could. That changes the taste and texture of the dish substantially. If it has beans it is chili beans, not chili. Chili is slang for chili con carne, not chili beans. Different dishes.
Negative, on all points.
So you're saying beans are as absorbent as tenderized meat?
Actually, beans are likely more absorbent that tenderized meat.
Cubed meat actually has little absorbency. Weigh a piece of meat then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the meat will change an insignificant amount. In fact, it's likely that the meat will have a lower mass if you apply heat as not only will fat render off but internal moisture will be lost as well.
Compare that to a dried bean. Weigh a bean then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the bean will increase a statistically significant amount.
Flavorful meats in stews (yes, chili is a stew) aren't flavorful because they absorb a flavorful liquid they're flavorful because they're covered in flavorful liquid just like ice cream doesn't absorb hot fudge it's covered by it.
Actually, beans are likely more absorbent that tenderized meat.
Cubed meat actually has little absorbency. Weigh a piece of meat then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the meat will change an insignificant amount. In fact, it's likely that the meat will have a lower mass if you apply heat as not only will fat render off but internal moisture will be lost as well.
Compare that to a dried bean. Weigh a bean then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the bean will increase a statistically significant amount.
Flavorful meats in stews (yes, chili is a stew) aren't flavorful because they absorb a flavorful liquid they're flavorful because they're covered in flavorful liquid just like ice cream doesn't absorb hot fudge it's covered by it.
Actually, beans are likely more absorbent that tenderized meat.
Cubed meat actually has little absorbency. Weigh a piece of meat then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the meat will change an insignificant amount. In fact, it's likely that the meat will have a lower mass if you apply heat as not only will fat render off but internal moisture will be lost as well.
Compare that to a dried bean. Weigh a bean then put it in liquid. Regardless of whether you add heat or not the mass of the bean will increase a statistically significant amount.
Flavorful meats in stews (yes, chili is a stew) aren't flavorful because they absorb a flavorful liquid they're flavorful because they're covered in flavorful liquid just like ice cream doesn't absorb hot fudge it's covered by it.
Don't even bother, this idiot has now driven his point into the ground so hard that he's comparing absorbency of ingredients...only on a tech site.
I think there's a 3rd factor that's not being addressed here. And that's surface area. Beans have very little, ground up meat or tenderized meat as much more. This surface area does a better job of holding on to the sauce that makes up the majority of the chili.
I think there's a 3rd factor that's not being addressed here. And that's surface area. Beans have very little, ground up meat or tenderized meat as much more. This surface area does a better job of holding on to the sauce that makes up the majority of the chili.
bfdd said:And the difference between cooked meat vs an already hydrated bean is? Also, you have to evaporate out some of the liquid. I don't see that as pulling in flavor to the bean, but drying them out.
PieIsAwesome said:the total volume of beans has more of its surface area exposed to the sauce.
Not only is the surface area of cubes meat larger (depending on the cube size) but the surface is also more irregular, allowing friction/surface tension to hold better.
1) If you're cooking it hard enough to dry out the beans you're also cooking it hard enough to dry out any meat.
2) Who the hell uses canned beans in chili? Real chili uses only beans that were rehydrated by the cook. Everyone knows this.
Also, surprised that nobody has mentioned that in Illinois the official spelling is "chilli" and that in Cincinnati "chili" is also known as a "five-way" which is another name for spaghetti.
Actually, because the beans are smaller, the total volume of beans has more of its surface area exposed to the sauce.
So if you were to take some sort of giant, tasty meat cube, in order for it to carry more sauce on the surface you would need to divide it into smaller pieces. Preferably very small, spherically shaped meat pieces.
Not only is the surface area of cubes meat larger (depending on the cube size) but the surface is also more irregular, allowing friction/surface tension to hold better.
1) If you're cooking it hard enough to dry out the beans you're also cooking it hard enough to dry out any meat.
2) Who the hell uses canned beans in chili? Real chili uses only beans that were rehydrated by the cook. Everyone knows this.
Also, surprised that nobody has mentioned that in Illinois the official spelling is "chilli" and that in Cincinnati "chili" is also known as a "five-way" which is another name for spaghetti.
Edited:
Whoa now. Now we're getting into absolute surface area comparisons versus surface area to volume ratio comparisons. i think we need to move this to Highly Technical if we're going to continue down this route.
I do. Dried beans take too long.