Last weekend, I used dried pinto beans for the first time. And actually, other than a brief flirtation with cannellini beans during college and the occasional lentil soup or salad, my experience with dried beans is nil. When I was growing up, we were more of a canned bean family and so the idea of cooking with dried beans just never really crossed my mind.
However, over the last few months (or so) I've been seeing lots of people write about using dried beans. The Pioneer Woman did it (and paired them with cornbread). The Gluten-Free Girl described beans in delicious detail. And Luisa, the Wednesday Chef, did amazing things with giant white lima beans.
A Chicago-based company recalled nearly 100,000 cans of pinto beans yesterday after a bird's head was found in
one of the cans. A spokesman for La Preferida, Inc. said that the lot number on the cans was 5348 MF and the best by
date is 12/14/07. Supposedly, no other beans are affected by the recall. The can in question was bought in Aurora
(excellent!). The Illinois Department of Public Health and the USFDA are investigating. 
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