Making Proper Cheesy Beans (Also: Toast is Not Optional)

[@RichardMcCrory_Neph]

When I saw the weird stuff in a jar video and Mike's despondency at the contents, I knew that a proper beans in cheese sauce was imminent.

[@raraavis7782]

This is the way...😎

[@edtuckerartist]

This is the tin...

[@edtuckerartist]

*can

[@Joseph-f8e7c]

Same

[@rogink]

@@edtuckerartist I like his tin do attitude :)

[@lindaclark7]

"If anyone from Heinz is watching, you're welcome". 😂😂🤣 hahaha, I just love shrimp 💚

[@gillianmeehan3206]

But Heinz would make a real pigs ear of this recipe and it would be beans floating in yellow gloop

[@mikethedigitaldoctorjarvis]

@@gillianmeehan3206 That is so true ! it would be a yellow glowing nuclear sauce !

[@ptonpc]

Heinz would mess it up and charge a fortune for the privilege.

[@foamige]

I know 😂Perfect comment.

[@DiamondCake2]

They do macaroni cheese in a tin and it’s like 0.5% cheese. You can barely taste it, it’s just like thickened milk.

[@domramsey]

This looks amazing and I want it now! I work in food NPD and one reason this is unlikely to happen is that every product starts with a target price point and the recipe is designed around that. I was thinking that might make an interesting way to do a a budget food video. Start with a target price for a single dish and see how good you can make it without exceeding the budget.

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

Great idea

[@raraavis7782]

I commented something similar on the original video. That making beans with an actually nice tasting cheese sauce would probably be noticeably more expensive than making them with tomato sauce. And since people expect to pay the same for different versions of a product like that, the cheese version probably wouldn't be a great seller. Or they would have to cut so many corners, it wouldn't taste very appealing anymore.

[@agabaga12]

​@@raraavis7782 considering how much of the ready can is actually not related to food inside, home made version, even with nicer cheese, should not be much more expensive. But mass produced will definitely not be as nice. Those cans are priced at €1.50 in Ireland

[@domramsey]

@@raraavis7782 It's actually a really fun part of product development. There's so much testing and fine tuning involved in balancing what we want to do with what we can afford to do.

[@hannakinn]

Oh, that's a great idea.

[@GIBBO4182]

This is almost a “recipe redemption” video!

[@ChaseMC215]

It might as well be considering how disappointed he was with the Heins product

[@peanutsveryepicchannel8699]

This title is the most English thing I have read in my life. Really did make my morning.

[@Pooky-Cat]

As the concept of an idea I think it worked very well 👍

[@8mu-]

It's literally my wedding morning and I'm sat at home on my own watching Mike eat cheese :D

[@lisaboban]

Watching Mike is quite soothing! Congratulations and have so much fun today!

[@CineMiamParis]

Congratulations on your wedding!

[@Lucretia_Rage]

Congratulations, what a great start for your day!

[@JokersD0ll]

Congrats 💗🥰

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

Nothing like Mile to take the edge off of a stressful day! Congrats!

[@capitalb5889]

"Let's talk about cheese" - yes, you grabbed my attention with those words.

[@itspixel2841]

Oh man when you said you'd try this soon I didn't know you meant THIS soon 😂

[@chezmoi42]

He's truly a man of his word.

[@FransLebin]

I was disappointed it wasn't in the WSIAC video itself, so I'm very pleased to see it so soon

[@danielcohen4115]

Hey shrimp, I think your aioli split because the garlic wasn't ground smooth enough to stably emulsify the oil. Of course a pestle and mortar would be ideal, but perhaps next time after the crusher, you could crush the garlic on a chopping board using the flat side of a knife just to get it a little smoother.

[@TheWibbo]

a small amount of dijon mustard will also help with emulsifying

[@markmatthews5410]

I think also an egg yolk wouldn’t go amiss in the aioli, then drizzle the oil in whilst whisking, which I think would result in a well emulsified dressing (not too thick though!) I’m actually going to try this, as I usually use wholewheat fusilli for this cheesy sauce fix kind of thing.

[@TheWibbo]

@@markmatthews5410 of course, how did i miss him not putting in egg yolk. mayo or aioli without egg is just oil

[@markmatthews5410]

@@TheWibboI know what you mean! Apparently though after a quick research it seems that the oil-only based aioli was the traditional way.

[@tenthousanddaysofgratitude]

I can’t sleep here in Western Canada. Atomic Shrimp to the rescue to entertain me. However, that said, the last time I did this, I managed to nod off and auto-played into 4 subsequent Atomic Shrimp videos. My dreams took me from the shop to the kitchen to the woods for a forage where we came upon a computer scammer. The Atomic Odyssey😂 Looks like a great weekend breakfast. That cheese sauce looks scrummy.

[@Maria_Erias]

I was thinking it might not be bad over a poached egg. Sort of an interesting twist on an Eggs Benedict or a British version of Huevos Rancheros with those chilis.

[@kermitthepog7063]

When I saw your dissapointment at the tinned "cheesey" beans, I knew this video was incoming! I admire your perserverance in coming up with an idea and actually seeing it through, I'm sure having the youtube channel helps with that, but yeah to me with my ADHD it's very impressive. You're setting a good example for all of us to follow through with our interesting ideas, which is probably making the world a significantly more interesting place.

[@jacquespoulemer]

Bravo Mike, whenever I'm disappointed with something I've tried (or, even worse, prepared myself) I also get the gnawing need to rectify it and don't stop experimenting until I'm satisfied. As I watched you assemble the elements I was sure you (and I) would be pleased with the result. A glorious combination. The Rye bread also looked wonderful. Appropriately hungry for cheesy beans. Jacques Mexico

[@rudimentaryganglia]

I believe the grains are calcium lactate crystals?

[@J-zr9lg]

You were more restrained than I'd have been in your cheese sampling. I could taste that Dorset "outdoor" cheddar, from your description😋

[@Macallion]

This is completely irrelevant to this specific video, but I went on a bat walk last night for the first time. I did some Googling to look at bat detector options and discovered that there are kits you can put together, some of which don't even require soldering. I suspect those would be a bit simple for you, but it occurred to me that bat detecting in general might be of interest to you, and I'm sure there are ways to make one from separate components, or more complicated versions. Just thought I'd mention it, in case. ☺

[@chezmoi42]

I have the best bat detector! It's my car. Parked in the hangar, it alerts me when the bats are in residence in the rafters above by displaying a scattering of vertical mouse poo. 🦇🥰 🦇 I love my batties.

[@Jhud69]

Never heard about this before! That's so cool.

[@dees3179]

My grandad died in the 1980s, but one of the things I remember about him is that he once got a bat trapped inside his shirt while he was outside locking up for the night. He got all scratched up and I expect the bat was rather dis-chuffed too. You just reminded me.

[@builtontherockhomestead9390]

Don't know where you live, but if you want to see a really cool bat video, Google "Devil's Sinkhole" or Devil's Sinkhole Texas Natural Area". I live down the road from the Sinkhole which can be seen from outerspace. Every summer the Mexican Free tail bat makes it's home in the Sinkhole. They exit at night like a tornado. Living only a few miles away, I've seen the bats leave in person, but the many professional videos are really cool to watch.

[@chezmoi42]

@@dees3179 Yikes! They usually avoid obstacles like that with their sonar. In that vein, may I suggest searching YT for 'Irish bat dad'. Your grandfather would have loved it.

[@jensgoerke3819]

That cheese sauce should also work with homemade Spätzle. 😋

[@tenthz]

OMG, that sounds amazing

[@mortalwombat83]

You continuously cook the most delectable, hearty looking meals. I always get hungry watching your vids, even directly after eating. I don't even like baked beans and I am going to try this recipe. ❤

[@thewhitestone]

Happy to see this follow-up to yesterday's video. If you make aoli again, try crushing the garlic in a pestle and mortar. Food wishes has a good video about the technique.

[@chezmoi42]

Okay, I questioned beans on toast, but I must say that this is a recipe that would inspire me to try it. It's also a fabulous base for a soup, which is my favorite way to prepare beans. Thank you for the inspiration!

[@steviegallagher1801]

oh if you can taste the floral notes in that cheese, those cows were absolutely gorging themselves on wildflowers in the pasture. how lovely. and the crystals in cheddar are usually calcium lactate! (im a cheesemonger, i could talk about this stuff all day)

[@efu707]

what's your favourite type of cheese?

[@dennett316]

Sounds delicious. I do really like just putting some grated cheese in Branston beans and melting it into the regular bean sauce, the tomato-y cheesy combo is lovely, but this version sounds great too.

[@JokersD0ll]

The cat profile is so cute

[@ferenz1574]

You just accidentally made something very similar to one of Lithuania’s most famous and beloved snacks called “kepta duona”. It’s fried rye bread with garlic, usually served with a creamy cheese sauce. It’s an amazing combo and really popular here. I could see the beans being a great addition too-a perfect English-Lithuanian fusion!

[@AtomicShrimp]

Thanks for that. I think I need to seek out an authentic recipe for kepta duona now and give that a try - it sounds delicious!

[@ferenz1574]

please give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

[@geneard639]

I'm from Alabama and, yeah.... I was a weird little kid. As soon as I learned how to climb the kitchen cabinets and how to use the electric can opener and toaster oven? Yep, beans on toast put in the toaster oven with a layer of cheddar cheese on top and heated until the cheese turned brown. Was it good? Well, y'all know that was life changing. Boy did I get my backside blistered for doing that.

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

I don't know if you read all the comments, but we're pretty much all beans from the same giant pod, here! 😜

[@charylliss3741]

Cheese tax, the cheese tax The rules are the rules and the facts are the facts And when the cheese drawer is opened you gotta pay the tax 🐶

[@OwDoGaming-kx9jo]

pretty sure everytime Shrimp mentioned cheese Eva had to have her say lol

[@Seattle4lyfe]

I wonder how Mac and Cheese sauce beans would work. In theory it should taste good and gives the classic color of a yellow appearance to them.

[@AtomicShrimp]

This is pretty much the sauce I use for macaroni cheese when I make that (better cheese than usual) but I think I know what you mean

[@Seattle4lyfe]

​​@@AtomicShrimp Yeah. Sorry didn't realize that you were using almost the same sauce but Mac and Cheese is kind of known for yellow in color like when you did the Kraft Mac and cheese comparison video. The sauce in that was kind of what I meant as a Mac and Cheese kind of color.

[@rudimentaryganglia]

​@@Seattle4lyfe in the UK macaroni cheese is more likely to be the paler yellow colour especially if it's home made

[@capitalb5889]

​@@rudimentarygangliais Mac and cheese any different to traditional macaroni cheese?

[@techheck3358]

Browning the butter before adding the flour, and adding a bit of mustard would bring you closer to that

[@sandrosliske]

Oh wonderful. I'd only just watched the previous video so I didn't have to wait long.

[@mandym2808]

Would be good with a jacket potato

[@kermitthepog7063]

Genius!

[@SomeRandomPerson]

...on toast. (I kid, lots of things go well on toast - I just had left-over spaghetti bolognaise on toast)

[@PandemoniumMeltDown]

I like how you think this!

[@munchbob1]

I thought that and came to the comments to see if anyone else had the same idea lol

[@sonetteduplessis1023]

your food videos always make my mouth water. good wholesome ingredients

[@Dragoan117]

I really enjoy how you explain the process of cooking. How have you learned all of this knowledge, you seem like you could easily be a professional chef!

[@rudyjanke5942]

This is the first video I've seen with the tile backsplash in your kitchen and I must say it is very nice and I'm jealous.

[@themitre]

This is one of those 'why didn't I think of that' moments. Segue to 'I'm definitely trying that'.

[@LoveeeJonesss]

Hey Shrimp, haven’t watched/commented in a while. You continue to be an inspiration. We just sat down for dinner (made chilli, kinda similar to this a bit!) and now you’ve just taught me to make queso, cheesy beans, and made me less hesitant to make my own beans and (and meat) for the chilli next time. I didn’t have the energy to do the beans so I just got the canned stuff. You make it easier and love the soda tip. My husband is very curious about the beans on toast. I bought Heinz Curry Beanz and I may try it on toast just because you said. I’ll make him try it too.

[@CricketEngland]

Just get an ordinary tin of Baked Beans, and used the granulated cheese powder and makes a good thick cheese sauce, mix the two together and pour over the toast then sprinkled on a thick layer of a mix of mature cheddar and Danish blue cheese and pop under the grill for a few mins to melt, Yum Yum!

[@jimibaboza]

Indeed, and he even says that in the previous video.

[@動物同理心]

I love a slightly grainy Mornay / Bechamel sauce too - the slight traction that the flour gives, contrasts perfectly with pasta or vegetables, fish etc.

[@joannew3905]

That Dorset cheddar must come from naturally pastures cows. Cheese made from the same cows, using the same pasture, will taste different depending on the time of year of the milk. Different flowers and plants are predominate at different seasons and even the maturity of the grass has an impact on flavor profile.

[@mrdaym]

That's what I thought! Some classic swiss cheeses changes color depending on the season. I'm dying to try out a cheddar with flowery notes.

[@jingdono]

This is the motivational video to finally push me over the edge into making my own beans on toast from scratch :D I've been wanting to for a while, but now I absolutely must

[@Cerise4697]

Very nearly crawled through my screen when you tried the cheeses-- they sound heavenly. As a cheese fiend I really appreciated this!

[@brianartillery]

Glad to hear that it's not just me that equates the mouth feel 'Silky' with 'Slimy'. Texture is everything.

[@cliveramsbotty6077]

that linear hob is such a great idea, i want one. all my pans in a nice row.

[@caralea3442]

Your Saturday morning videos have become my routine whilst I clean the house. Thank you, it makes the mundane job far more bearable.

[@nwrth]

Oh, now I hate myself. I'm on holiday, and I left my Snowdonia mature cheddar at home. And now I'd really love a piece of it. The savoriness, the tiny, crunchy granules of whatever it is, the fruity notes... Very nice.

[@steviegallagher1801]

calcium lactate! in cheeses other than cheddar, theyre usually tyrosine crystals. but cheddar is special

[@coryman125]

I'm actually gonna agree with you here. Cheese in Canada, unless you buy really high end or imported, tends to be kinda bland and waxy. I didn't think I liked cheddar until I had it in the UK and saw what it should be. Really silky cheese sauces to me just scream cheap and mass produced, while one with a bit of a texture feels homemade and real

[@ThrowawayAccountToComment]

I appreciate the wide variety of content

[@zencat55]

I now brine my beans when I'm soaking them. I find they cook better that way, and you don't need the bicarb.

[@kneecappahkappa5535]

I'm so happy you enjoyed that. The entire time you were creating the dish, I was thinking to myself how good it looked.

[@Styphon]

"So the obvious thing to do is make that for myself" could be an alternative name for the channel.

[@candyc.7565]

Thank you Atomic Shrimp for sharing this recipe. Delicious. In my eagerness to make a version of this … not me draining a can of baked beans (I’ve kept the sauce for later) to make a cheesy baked bean sauce.

[@simoneclark2585]

Hey! Been watching you for years! Love all your vidoes and have actually been watching from the beginning which is pretty cool. All the best to you and the family 👍

[@chloebenn5708]

Recently cooked some delicious cannelleni beans with garlic, fennel seeds & stock 😍 I'm experimenting with soaking beans with salt & bicarb

[@chezmoi42]

As I've understood it, salt should be added near the end of the cooking time, since it can interfere with the texture of the beans, leaving them hard and crumbly rather than smooth textured.

[@zacharywidener]

Now that you've been using the new kitchen for a bit, could we maybe get another review of how it's treating you? Do you have a favorite feature? Is there anything you'd go back and change? Anything you don't like about it?

[@zerocasualteas]

Yum! That cheese sauce looks so yummy! I’ve never had beans with cheese sauce, but now I must make them. Thank you! 🎉

[@DeathMetalDerf]

Thank you, Mr. Shrimp. Thank you for just being your usually awesome self. You're such an inspiration.

[@markfarnworth4211]

Wow! I guess, like a lot of people, I see a fairly large number of recipes in the course of my daily wanderings and even though many are interesting, only a very small percentage make onto the "Must Try" list. This has muscled its way in and made everything else back up a position. Can't wait to try it.

[@nancycurtis7315]

Oh wow. I had never seen the canned one before your last video. Never going to try them, but, I love your take.I really have to track your rye bread, as well. It sounds wonderful. Greetings from the Little DESERT region of Victoria, Australia. 😊

[@Ixarus6713]

I have a feeling you and I are on opposite sides of the cheese-ometer Mr Shrimp. 😂 I'm much more a fan of a traditional beans on toast with a soft and creamy cheese, so when you started talking about biteyness and added more toppings then chives I was slightly amused. Still, looks good! I think I'm more a fan of the regular cheesy beans though. Thanks for the interesting content.

[@SteveTheRedPikmin]

Love the outro song switchup! It’s hard to beat the classic, but variety is always welcome!

[@gir2005]

wasn't expecting this video so fast!!! i love your content

[@jameslaing8439]

Small thing but I loved the way you just dumped the milk into the sauce. So many TV chefs claim you need to add the milk slowly to avoid lumps which is rubbish. Macaroni cheese is a lovely thing in my view and deserves good cheese. I was wondering why no mustard and immediately along came the explanation. Brilliant timing. I’m inspired but will probably just add a few tinned beans (brined not in tomato sauce) to my lunchtime macaroni cheese.

[@lindaclark7]

I love the idea but have never managed to get it right and always default to the old bit by bit method. Even though I have watched both my mum and sister have success with the dump it all in method.

[@AtomicShrimp]

If you stir with a spoon, you need to be careful with the milk, but a whisk makes it easy

[@lindaclark7]

@@AtomicShrimp OK next time I'm all in then 😁

[@kjdude8765]

Cold milk into a hot Roux won't clump!

[@fromthegamethrone]

"stop wondering and try it" Advice for life.

[@steammachine3061]

Literally just made cheese on beans on toast. Partly inspired by your "cheesey beans" video. Mostly because there was bugger all much in that wouldn't have required a lot of prep and cooking. And we had a long arse day which made me select something simple, easy and nostalgic. I did do a thick bacon and cheese sauce yesterday though. That I layered into a butterflied garlic bread and then added some mozzarella slices (thank you asda reduced to clear pizza deli) and threw that in the oven. Made 2 one for last night and one cold for a picnic earlier today

[@philipmckeon8944]

This looks so dang tasty shrimpie! I think I’m in love ❤️❤️👍

[@kevinbell9255]

I make my cheese sauce the exact same way you do and I agree (especially with mature cheddar), the slight grainy-ness is part of the charm. I am very tempted to try making cheesy beans. I almost wonder if they would go well with tortilla chips maybe?

[@SheyD78]

You could add a little cumin and paprika and make it nacho cheesy beans.

[@Pooky-Cat]

Sounds delicious 😋

[@saulcontreras313]

Glorious, imaginative! Imagine putting a ladle of meat sauce on top of it all pure comfort! Although would use a thicker toasted bread, for added substance.

[@christineb8148]

I used to sell a really nice cheddar from Iowa and I always thought it had a very "meadowy" flavor - grassy, sweet, a bit floral. It had a lovely sense of place but was also very approachable.

[@deejayk5939]

That cheese looks delicious, now I have😂 to go get some. Thanks for the recipes you share!

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

I’m delighted to see this video. Very curious to hear more about cheesy beans!

[@reijngoud]

This could be the start of a new culinary journey. ..I suddenly have a craving for macaroni cheese on toast

[@samhenwood5746]

I thought you would do this ,after the Heinz cheesy beans & honest truth your cheesy beans beans look awesome 👏 Thanks for sharing Atomic shrimp 🦐😊👍

[@ve7hun]

Damn that looks delicious! I am so making this. BTW, what you just made is basically fancy KD with beans. (I'm Canadian, so you may have to look that up.)

[@agabaga12]

Great video, it looks strange and wonderfull at the same time. I'm used to having beans in beetroot soup and as baked beans so cheese sauce seems a little strange but why not. I would have possibly added a little nutmeg into the sauce

[@TheOz91]

Beans in cheese sauce, now this is what I would be interested in experimenting to try out. For some reason, baked beans in tomato sauce is a weirdly popular product here in Malaysia. You can find it even in small shops everywhere.

[@ejshaw2632]

That looks fantastic. My first thought though is I'd love to put it under the griddle get that good browning.

[@patricialavery8270]

Old Texas lady told me the secret to tender Black-Eyed peas is soda in the water. Yup honey and milk are flavored by what the maker animal fed on, also cheese will pick up flavors from the environment which is why it needs sealed in the fridge. Savory tastes something like black pepper but is related to sage, thus the digestive effect. The basis of any béchamel type sauce is 1tablespoon butter, one tablespoon flour,1 cup milk for regular sauce. To cream veggies it is 2 Tbl butter and 2 Tbl flour to a cup of milk so it doesn't get too watery. I have never used the 3 Tbl version,I think that would be for spreading on something like lasagna. If you convert from volumetric it won't matter of course, as long as the ratio is always the same. the 1Tbl version should be good for a cheese sauce since the cheese will make it thick and rich. I would probably top it with bacon crumbles but I am not sure British style bacon can make those.

[@MichelleLWhitney]

Thanks for making videos like this. I really enjoy them. I read somewhere (?) a while ago that adding baking soda to beans causes a reaction in the beans that reduces their nutrient content. I always added some to dry beans for the reason you mentioned (as well as to reduce the gaseous after effects of eating beans). Have you any opinion/knowledge about bicarbonate soda and possible nutrient reduction when added to dry beans when cooking/soaking? Would love to hear your thoughts.

[@silva7493]

Lordy, I am about to drool...

[@johnniewelken5417]

It looks like if my dad, who at best can boil potatoes, microwave frozen salmon and make a premade powdered gravy to save his day, went out of his way and tried to make a proper-as-he-couldn meal off the top of his head.

[@charinajohansson3890]

Always use your pressurecooker to cook beans! 6 min on medium pressure npr. I always cook beans pot in pot.

[@rachelembletonpalmer5891]

Just a question it's not related to beans question / suggestion maby have you ever used tamarind in your cooking if not be helpful to use it in some recepies iv just used it second time in a curry but I'm not sure what else it can be used for or how to even use it today iv just soaked it in hot water so it's seeps like you do with mushrooms as it's very tough ingredient there is no must it might not be yours or viewers cup of tea Maby Babatunde tho I don't know have a nice weekend

[@MatsJPB]

That looked marvelous! I'm fully with you one the cheese sauce, I like a bit of texture when it comes to cheese.

[@Mysticalzelda]

This actually looks amazing!

[@foamige]

Cheese lovers - Try "Cornish Quartz" from Waitrose. Its amazing cheddar in a pinch.

[@wendyfernley]

Also, the hybrid of beans on toast, and cheese on toast, is genius. Its like the 2 best things to have on toast got married and had a beautiful child. We have witnessed the creation of a new classic lunch or supper dish.

[@gillianmeehan3206]

I like the way you lifted the pan off the heat for the vigorous whisking so that your new hob doesn't get scratched with the friction

[@andymerrett]

If everything is clean there shouldn't be scratching. You'd hope there's toughened glass to deal with the heat so it should be scratch resistant as well.

[@gillianmeehan3206]

@@andymerrett You are right but I'd still hold the pan off the direct heat for vigorous action, I'd want my expensive hob to look perfect for many years so it's no bother to whisk off the heat really.

[@accountnamewithheld]

It's to stop the sauce burning on the bottom.

[@kjdude8765]

​@@andymerrettIt's actually a ceramic top that is transparent to infrared and opaque to visible light. It's also very hard (no scratches) and resistant to thermal shock.

[@RichardNosworthy]

Nice video - wondering if it might be nice to swap the toast with baked potato & side salad? And/or pop it under the grill at the end to crisp the top. Hungry now.

[@kittysupersuper]

this reminds me of a picture I saw of a street food cart that was selling heinz beans over baked potatoes. I didn't know beans were this versatile lol

[@mbryson2899]

"Slight disappountment?" I thought it was more like disdain. Well-founded disdain, though, which I shared.

[@oneoflokis]

That looks lovely! 😋 Definitely beans on toast with a twist! And I don't think that Heinz would ever use such good quality cheese... 🙂 I didn’t watch the Heinz "cheesy beans" review video. But maybe their idea was just to add a bit of cheese to the regular tomato sauce?? (I've done that, on occasion.)

[@jillistair9118]

Looks yummy! I like your new kitchen!

[@hildevandingenen-md4jy]

This is a nice plate of beans on toast even a Flemish girl like me would gladly try. I would put some pepper and a sniff of nutmeg in the Mornay sauce and serve it with some flat parsley. Smakelijk! ( enjoy your meal!)

[@shazib21]

With Bicarbonate - if you put too much in cake, it ends up soapy. Does that happen with the beans? (I know it helps them become more tender, presumably by changing the pH?).

[@Emeraldwitch30]

I use a square of kombu in my beans. Its supposed to help with the digestibility of beans too. Not 100% sure but I do like the flavor and the umami/natural msg from the kelp. I do pull it out of the dish before eating but i have sliced it very very thinly and put back into my baked beans before. I happen to like the chewy bits and so does my husband

[@Emeraldwitch30]

I can imagine beans on toadt would be okay. Im fond of refried beans/salsa and cheese on freshly made flour tortillas. Sometimes just beans and tortillas depending on the mood and if the beans are homemade.

[@tehklevster]

When I was a kid in the late 70's we had a thing called the "Cheesy Beano". The Beano part probably because we read The Beano and lived not far from DC Thomson's HQ in Dundee. The Cheesy Beano was pretty simple. Take a Scottish "morning roll" and cut in half and toast both sides for a bit, just until slightly golden brown, no more. Then top with cooked baked beans and lavish with shredded coloured cheddar cheese covering all of the exposed roll parts. The final, but optional, ingredient was a wee squirt of tomato ketchup and then shove the two halves under the grill until the cheese bubbled and got a wee bit of a char on top. This was a cheap and cheerful, if lethally lava hot (that ketchup option), lunch that filled us up to then head outside again to play kick the can or whatever other nonsense we played back then.

[@gmansplit]

Omg that looks and sounds so delicious

[@fhwolthuis]

Looks delicious and nutritious 😉 After watching the canned stuff yesterday, I was wondering how regular baked beans would taste with some semi-molten cubes of cheese in it. Might try that soon.

[@archivethearchives]

Very nice!! Looks delicious.

[@AppleIPie]

My friend is an amateur cook and he recently asked me how he could make his own Mac and cheese. I told him to try a bechamel base like the one you made, since he probably has all the ingredients. He went and found a recipe on Google that asked for half a grocery store and 3 hours of work somehow, got scared, and just grated cheese onto plain pasta. I think I'll send him your video, just to demonstrate that making a cheese sauce is no life or death situation, that you can just use 4 common ingredients, and not worry about all the confusing fine dining precision that scared him off.

[@chezmoi42]

You'll be doing him a big favor, because a bechamel is the basis of so many recipes - lasagna, moussaka, all kinds of gratins, soufflés, pasta sauces, soups... I can't imagine where he found a complicated recipe.

[@AppleIPie]

@@chezmoi42 yeah. He somehow found lecordon bleu cheese sauce recipe online as the first result, and he's not experienced enough to tell that he didn't find a good source. It had 5 stars, but only 4 people reviewed it. I'd trust a 4 star recipe with 300 reviews much more. It instructed him to pin a bay leaf to an onion with a clove, simmer it in the sauce, and then strain it out with a china cap. He doesn't have half of that! You don't need any of that to make a bechamel cheese sauce for dinner! It's just fascinating what kinds of mistakes novices make. It's not even their fault, how would they know? I much prefer to introduce people to recipes with videos like this, which explain the "why" of each step, as well as additions you can skip or include to taste.

[@chezmoi42]

@@AppleIPie Exactly, and there are so many very good folks teaching basic techniques right here on YT. I'm so old I learned to cook with Julia Child on TV. I was lucky enough to finally meet her and have my two books signed when she came to Seattle just before I retired and moved to France in '92. Your friend could do worse than to find her videos here and start with her reassuring presence beside him.

[@AppleIPie]

@@chezmoi42 oh that's so lucky. My childhood cooking teacher was Alton Brown. Skits, puppets, and a very practical science based foundation for the major techniques in the kitchen.

[@chezmoi42]

@@AppleIPie I've heard a lot about him. There are so many good resources on line now, it's hard to know where to start. I go to people who amuse me now, which is why I'm here. I also adore Max on Tasting History, and Adam Ragusea is like visiting with a somewhat hyper friend. Downshiftology is just what it sounds like, delicious and easy, with lots of meal prep ideas for busy people (heh - at 82, I'm not very). In between, I just look for a recipe for an ingredient and make happy discoveries - like "what shall I do with these old rice papers?" led me to Chung's K Food. She has fun ideas, and such a sunny personality.

[@bobbyunavailable]

Looks delicious. Nicely done.

[@billymays81]

Love your flatware

[@MrSkinnedpuppy]

Will definitely be making this, looks yummy!

[@Traderjoe]

This is exactly what I expected from the can video and I think Heinz missed the boat in the idea of a tomato based sauce with a hint of cheese. To me, a cheese sauce should have cheese as the primary flavor component and anything else should be just background. Thats to me at any rate. If I grabbed that can off the shelf and opened it without reading further I would have also been disappointed.