fresh green beans
All the information here about green beans comes from one of the chapters in Russ Parsons’ book titled How to Pick a Peach.

What I learned:

  • That cooks all around continue trying to find ways to keep green beans green. The chemistry involved is interesting: every green vegetable goes through three stages of green: (1) raw, the vegetable is a deep but dull green; (2) in the early stages of cooking the color turns bright and vibrant (this change occurs as the cell walls soften and tiny amounts of oxygen are driven off while other gases cloud the pure color of the chlorophyll); (3) the green turns to olive drab because of a chemical change in the chlorophyll - partly due to an enzymatic action, but mostly due to acids released during cooking.
  • Some of the age-old methods for keeping beans green are myths (like using baking soda in the water - - makes the texture slimy, though; cooking in heavily salted water - - no scientific basis that that method works).
  • The best method for keeping green beans green is to cook them in plenty of water (so less acids are released to each bean) - quickly - no slow heat-up here - the less time beans are in the water the better - cook just until they’re done to your liking - then plunge them into ice water. [This is the method I've used for about 15 or so years, I guess - probably learned it at a cooking class].
  • Green beans we buy are actually immature beans - as a legume they grow for the seeds inside, which if left to mature, become nugget sized and the pods will toughen.
  • There are two types of green beans - the round (Blue Lake and haricots verts), the more traditional green bean; the flat (like Italian Romano) are more meaty and assertive, and are cooked much longer. They even seem to improve with lengthier cooking.
  • Green beans come in a variety of colors. So they really shouldn’t just be called “green” beans. The old term was “string beans,” but the strings were bred out of beans in recent years (except heirloom varieties). A more likely name is “snap beans.” If beans are fresh, they should snap (not just bend) in half.
  • You should remove the stem end, but removing the tail-end is not necessary [I always leave them on because they're very tender and look better].

How to Choose & Store:

  • They begin to lose moisture as soon as they’re picked, so eat them soon.
  • There should be no sign of wilting or mold.
  • Store tightly wrapped in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
  • Russ Parsons gives his favorite green bean quick cook method - boil them for about 7 minutes, plunge into ice water, pat dry, then dress with olive oil, lemon juice and just a bit of garlic just before serving (lemon juice will turn the beans gray if allowed to sit). In the book, he also includes two other recipes: a Chicken Salad with Green Beans and Basil Mayonnaise, and another for using the Romano style beans, called Overcooked Green Beans.
  • Here in California I never - ever - see the flat Romano beans at grocery stores or farmer’s markets. I’m going to have to look more closely - maybe they’re there and I’ve just never noticed. I have two real favorite recipes for green beans. I hope you’ll try them.

    • Green Beans with Garlic (a real favorite of ours)
    Green Beans with Shallots & Balsamic Glaze