What went wrong? Follow-up to “What is an authentic refried beans recipe”?

misslabeled: What went wrong? Follow-up to “What is an authentic refried beans recipe”?
I tried to make my refried beans yesterday. They soaked all day and overnight, and after about 3 hours of simmering I decided maybe I just didn’t know what the texture of a “done” bean should be, having eaten one periodically throughout the process. So I decided to mash. Nope, they definitely weren’t done, and even when I decided to sieve them trying to salvage the project, they were still gritty. Luckily, it was a trial run at whether I could make beans and I only wasted two cups dry.

So were the beans too old, heat too low, not cooked long enough, or a combination? I know I’m a rotten cook, but when I can’t even pull off a peasant dish I feel pretty defeated… by a bean! 🙂
Three hours seems like a long time, but I wonder if I had the heat up enough. I have a horrific glasstop stove that burns the bottom of everything, which I was trying to avoid. I miss gas!

Answers and Views:

Answer by Cowgirl_Power
Sounds like they weren’t cooked long enough.

If you start to mash and they aren’t done then you can ad some more water and return to a simmer.

Answer by Steve
They just weren’t cooked long enough. You actually could have still salvaged that last attempt by just adding a little water and letting them simmer. Beans are pretty forgiving.

But, and I hate to say this, homemade refried beans aren’t very noticeably different than the ones that come out of the can. Considering the 16 hours of prep time vs, ummm, 3 minutes of heating, I go for the can every time.

Answer by EloraDanan
Need to soak overnight – rinse – cook. Not sure – may be your cooking time.

I buy whole canned pinto’s or black beans. I cook a little bacon in my pan – discard the bacon (put it in a salad or something). Leave the fat – add the beans (don’t drain) and mash them. They taste way better than canned processed refried beans and are actually healthier because there are no additives.

Answer by RunningBear
I use canned beans. Dried may be cheap, but simmering anything for three hours or more just isn’t economical.

I fry a little finely chopped onion and garlic, add the beans with some cumin, chilli, black pepper and coriander/cilantro, a big glug of lemon juice, and cook them on a low heat, covered, for 10-20 minutes (doesn’t really matter how long, since they’re already cooked). I add a little hot water when I mash them to loosen the texture, and season with salt right at the end (if you cook them in salt they go tough).

I don’t know about ‘authentic’ but it’s delicious!