my cousin celia keeps my finger on the pulse of the kitchen struggles all over the country for those of you who don’t spend your entire work day in the food world. she is a busy working mom who loves to feed her family well but like many of us had a busy working mom herself and lost many of the tips tricks and recipes that were passed down from generation to generation. this week she brought up the green bean dilemma. “what do i do with these things? ! ” and by the way i am referring to fresh green beans. (i highly advise you to avoid the canned ones at all costs… i’ll explain more on that later. ) how to cook them? how long? blanching the beans is the best way to have them retain their color. that means cooking them in a pot of salted boiling water removing them and cooling them quickly in a bowl of ice water. at this point you can save them for later (put in a ziploc bag and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days) or use them in a salad or sauté them with a bit of garlic extra virgin olive oil and a favorite herb. if you will be using your beans in a salad cook them until they are done all the way through (but not mushy) and then put them in the ice bath. you can skip the blanching step but you will lose the bright green color and firm texture that i believe makes for a better dish. green beans are one of the only beans that can be eaten in their whole fresh form. most beans are utilized only for the seeds on the inside and need to be dried. green beans are a fantastic side dish with roast chicken steak or fish. they’re also fantastic cut into one-inch lengths and added to soups and stews. i love them with hot peppers basil and soy sauce which give them an asian flair. i find the canned variety of beans a food tragedy. what starts out as a vibrant vegetable packed with color flavor and nutrients gets cooked down to a green mushy and bland piece of adult-style baby food. the beans in the can are so overcooked that the flavor and nutrients have been leached out. if you keep them in their more natural state (cooking for 5-15 minutes depending on the size or variety vs. the 45-plus minutes of overcooked beans) you will enjoy them. they earn their nickname the “green giant. ” the variety that is seasonal in the u. s. in summer and fall is full of vitamins a c k and zinc iron and beta carotene. add green beans to your weekly food menu and you and your family will be well on your way to a healthy and delicious meal. already answer was provided by expert
what the best way to cook green beans?