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Green beans are eaten throughout the year! Nothing like pure green beans compose a nice salad of mixed vegetables… Crunchy or melting, green beans will delight your guests.
Varieties of Green Beans
String beans, wax beans, long beans, and haricots verts…
Slender beans with an edible pods comes from the same family, though they not all green. You are certainly familiar with common green bean; wax beans look the same except they have a yellow color; long beans come from China and can measure from a foot to a yard long. French haricots verts are thinner and tender. Long beans take longer to cook because they are harder. Haricots verts are more delicate, but otherwise you can use either one or another in many recipe.
How to cook green beans
All species of green beans can be eaten either raw, half cooked for crunchiness, or completely cooked and soft. Summer is by far the best season for green beans, but they’re grown all year long so you can get fresh green beans at your grocery store at any time.
Best cooking methods for Green Beans
Steaming, boiling, microwaving, stir-frying, sautéing, roasting, and braising. How to check doneness? it’s only a matter of personal preference: crisp-tender, just tender, or meltingly soft… Since you can eat green beans raw, there is no minimum cooking time required. It’s only about the texture you want to develop. Asparagus, peas, or broccoli can replace green beans in many recipes.
Nutrition facts about green beans
The “slimming green vegetable” by excellence! Green beans are very low in calories but rich in protein! Of course, beans are rich in fiber, which increases the feeling of satiety and facilitate intestinal transit.
Buying and storing green beans
Green and wax beans should be crisp a make a clear break when bent in half. French green beans or haricots verts are more tender and flexible but you should choose them crisp and clean. Store your green beans in a plastic or paper bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. Cook them quickly as they lose their fresh flavor within a few days.
Preparing green beans
Snap or cut off the stem end and leave whole or cut into any length you like,don’t forget to remove the stringy parts. You can also slice larger beans in half lengthwise. All done by hand it’s a lot of work but you will taste the difference compared to canned green beans.
