Pinto Bean

A mealy-textured bean that has a blotchy brown and tan colored skin. The oval shaped bean makes a good refried bean and is used in other dishes, such as beans and rice, chili, soups and stews. They are available dried or precooked in cans. Dried beans must be soaked to rehydrate before using. To rehydrate dried beans, first sort by spreading beans out on a tray or large platter and pick out any beans that are misshapen or discolored and discard. Also remove any other impurities you may find. Transfer sorted beans to a colander and rinse under cold running water. To rehydrate, place beans in a bowl with enough fresh cold water to cover all the beans. Soak for 3 to 8 hours at room temperature and then drain before using. For a quicker rehydrating method, place beans in a saucepan covered with water, bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Let the boiled beans soak for 1 1/2 hours and drain before using.