Canned Baked Beans You Should Buy And Others You Should Avoid
NEWS
By KATIE MELYNN
Buy: Bush's
Bush's canned baked beans offer plenty of flavor options, with some being sweet and others having an extra kick, so there's something for everyone's preference.
The original recipe has a balanced flavor and thick sauce that keeps the beans together on the plate, which is a must-have feature. Practically every grocery chain carries Bush's.
Avoid: Van Camp's
Compared to Bush's, Van Camp's baked beans sauce is far thinner and the beans don't stay together well. The taste is heavy on salty pork and acidic tomato flavors.
The beans are available in multiple sizes, but they tend to be smaller than the family-sized options from other brands. The brand also sells single-serving microwavable cups.
Buy: B&M
B&M original baked beans have a strong and balanced flavor of molasses with salt, sugar, and added spices in a rich tomato sauce that isn't too acidic.
The sweetness from the molasses and sugar paired with the smoky, bacon flavor from the pork fat on the ingredient list creates the perfect sweet and salty combination.
Avoid: Heinz
Despite being an American company, Heinz baked beans are popular in British cuisine due to having a strong tomato flavor rather than a sweet or salty flavor.
They may be in the same category as baked beans but they are distinctly different in a taste comparison, which lovers of traditional American-style baked beans may not like.
Buy: Signature Select
The Safeway store brand's beans get their sweetness and saltiness from brown sugar and bacon, with a good balance of both in the recipe.
These baked beans are also very thick with just enough sauce to coat the beans and keep them together without creating a runny mess on the plate.