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SMART SHOPPING: Baked Beans

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The slow cooker is great for making slow-simmered baked beans with rich molasses flavor. But for an easy weeknight meal, we wanted to skip the hassle of making baked beans from scratch. Convenient canned baked beans seemed like a great shortcut–but are they any good? To find out, we gathered cans from industry leaders and three vegetarian-style brands for a side-by-side tasting. Tasters’ preferences quickly fell into line: They liked sweet, slightly firm beans. The favorite was B&M Vegetarian Baked Beans, which tasters applauded for their “very molasses-y” flavor and “firm,” “pleasant” texture.