When I was young and dumb(er), I viewed my mom’s cooking with snobby condescension. I read cooking blogs, like Smitten Kitchen and Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, like it was a full time job. (Full disclosure, I still read these blogs, and have made delicious recipes from them!) When blog authors wrote about how beans-from-scratch are so much tastier and almost no more work than canned beans, I believed them, although it never seemed to turn out that way with my recipes. I shuddered at the jar of pre-chopped garlic in Mom’s refrigerator. I turned up my nose at Mom’s generous use of onion power and garlic powder in place of onions and garlic.
I have gradually come to an appreciation of Mom’s cooking. No, appreciation is too dry of a word: an admiration. She served up made-that-morning meals five to seven days out of the week, consistently ready by noon, all while taking care of five kids, feeding bucket calves, going to morning Bible study, and supervising our homeschool activities. And you know what? They tasted good. Dad was always raving about Mom’s cooking, and while he may have not been the most discriminating judge, I can say that as kids we generally didn’t have reason to complain.
Using canned goods and seasoning packets was part of how Mom pulled it off, and I now recognize it as a feature, not a bug. Although we do not have any children requiring our attention, my husband and I manage to make meals with much less consistency and timeliness than my mom did. (Maybe kids force you to be structured? I’m making excuses for ourselves.) I’d prefer to eat supper by 6:30 PM, but more often than not it’s after eight. When we whip up a old standby, however (almost invariably using some kind of short cut such as canned beans), there’s a better chance I get food in my belly before I get hangry.
In conclusion: Canned beans are easier and faster than making beans from scratch, and give you a more consistent product, don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. My mom is a great cook, way more experienced and effective than I am, and she doesn’t shy away from using cream of chicken soup or a boxed cake mix. Do what you have to do to get food on the table.