pinto beans
Medium-sized beige beans with reddish-brown speckles that fade during cooking. Once cooked they turn soft, creamy and mildly earthy.
Caution: Dried pinto beans contain lectins that are toxic when raw, so they must be soaked and boiled thoroughly, as slow cooking at low temperature is not enough.
Pinto beans are sold dried or canned in well-stocked supermarkets, in shops carrying Latin American or American goods, and by mail order. Their closest relative is the borlotti bean, which is Italian and often easier to find.
Substitute:
Borlotti beans are almost identical, just as creamy and mild. Kidney beans or black beans also work but have firmer skins and break down less, which shows in refried beans.