Make Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade With The Help Of 2 Classic Picnic Condiments

During the height of summer, there's no better feeling than arriving at the picnic with a homemade dish — it's even better when you can jazz up a classic dish with a few easy changes. Baked beans are a summertime staple and by adding ketchup and mustard, canned baked beans can turn into a tasty nearly-homemade dish that'll wow everybody at the get-together.

Ketchup and mustard are a hot dog's best friends, but they can also boost baked beans with plenty of flavor. Ketchup adds acidity to the mix, as well as rich tomato flavor. Simple yellow mustard can act as a flavor balancer, helping to cut through the richness of molasses or brown sugar while adding a little bit of tang.

Depending on what flavor of beans you're using, a can of baked beans can be a little sweet, especially if it's molasses or brown sugar based. Ketchup and mustard cut through the sweetness by adding depth of flavor. The acidity in both of them allows spices such as garlic powder or Worcestershire sauce to stand out so hungry picnickers can taste a mix of flavors and not have their tastebuds overwhelmed with brown sugar, molasses, or bacon.

The sprucing up process is simple. Roughly a half cup of ketchup and a few tablespoons of mustard added to a pan of simmering canned beans can add plenty of flavor.

A few simple ingredients can transform baked beans instantly. But canned baked beans can be turned into something spectacular for those who want to get creative, especially with mustard. A simple yellow mustard can add tang and help other flavors stand out, but other mustards can do a lot more.

Dijon mustard can add a sharper tang to baked beans than yellow mustard, as well as a touch of mild spice since a typical Dijon mustard has salt and vinegar among its ingredients. Honey mustard is another refrigerator staple that can liven up beans. Honey mustard can add some additional sweetness, but it can also cut through sweeter versions of canned beans to make the sauce more balanced. Spicy brown mustard can also help deepen the flavor of beans while cutting through the richness or sweetness of a basic sauce.

No matter whether you use ketchup, yellow mustard, or something more exotic like Dijon, the condiments you need to dress up basic baked beans are likely sitting right in your fridge and waiting to add tremendous amounts of flavor. The only downside is that people will be demanding you bring baked beans to every picnic.