Burnt the beans and learned the $4 fix in Denver

Last tuesday I was making my usual pinto bean pot and left it simmering while I got caught up on laundry. Came back 20 minutes later and the bottom was scorched, whole kitchen smelled like a campfire. I was about to toss it all but my roommate Sam said to scoop off the top layers and add a chopped potato to absorb the burnt taste. It actually worked, the pot turned out edible and the potato became the best part, plus I only lost about a dollar of beans instead of the full bag. Has anyone else salvaged a ruined batch with a random trick like that?

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morganmartinez18d ago

The potato trick is real, but you gotta be careful with it. It soaks up some of the burnt flavor, but only if you add it early and let it simmer for a while. Scooping the top layers is smart, but leaving even a little bit of the scorched stuff in there will ruin the whole pot again, so you have to be super thorough. My grandma always said a spoon of peanut butter or a splash of vinegar works too, but the potato is the most reliable. Just don't expect it to fix a totally black bottom layer, that's a lost cause.