I thought dried beans were a scam to make poor people feel fancy, then I did the math on a $1.29 bag | Budget Friendly Meals - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Something people sleep on with dried beans is the water cost. Canned beans are mostly water by weight, so you are paying for someone else to soak and ship heavy cans around the country. A pound of dry beans takes maybe a few cups of water at home, but factor in the can, the label, the truck, the shelf space, and each can costs way more than the beans inside are worth. The dry bag also wins because you control the salt. Canned beans are loaded with sodium, and rinsing only gets rid of some of it. Then there is the flavor thing, and this is where it stops being about money at all. Once you cook your own from dry with an onion and some cumin, going back to the can tastes like metal and sadness. The math is great but the taste is what keeps you doing it.