How To: Make Green Beans In Less Than Six Hours

Sam Wilkinson

According to a faithful reader, I'm Ordinary Times's "least thoughtful writer." So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

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15 Responses

  1. Plinko says:

    I believe in butter for my green beans, but otherwise this is exactly how I do them, I highly recommend it. Mushy veggies are gross.

    I’ve yet to have someone walk away from the table disappointed.
    (in the green beans)Report

  2. Kazzy says:

    I usually do a green bean salad, giving the beans a quick parboil to tenderize them a bit but still leavingthem with a bite. Then I toss them with cukes, onions, spices, oil, and vinegar. Serve immediately or things start to pickle (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but takes the bite out of the ingredients). I’ll try this next go around, as a quick fry in bacon fat ouns magical. Thanks.Report

  3. KatherineMW says:

    Six hours?

    I eat my green beans raw. Or slightly blanched for a couple minutes.

    My aunt also has a really good green beans recipe that involves baking them with Swiss cheese.Report

    • Matty in reply to KatherineMW says:

      Agreed, I count 12 minutes in this version, which is at least nine too many. Beans are naturally tasty and don’t need more than warming through while making sure they keep their colour and crunch.

      I do like the idea of adding bacon though, bacon is always good.Report

      • Kazzy in reply to Matty says:

        Frying them in fat isn’t going to heat them though the same way steaming or boiling will. My bet us the fry gives them some crisp and lots of flavor while the water tenderizes a bit.

        But, yea, green beans should bite back. Without snap or crunch, they’re baby food.Report

    • Sam Wilkinson in reply to KatherineMW says:

      Well, yes, green beans raw are delicious, but this would be an awfully boring post though if I’d given everybody a recipe for preparing raw green beans.Report

  4. Kim says:

    This recipe works well for green beans that are as thin as your little finger, or thinner.
    If they’re thick as your thumb, and full of real beans, you’ll want to cook longer (I recommend about 30 minutes). Shelly beans, of course, require shelling…Report

  5. Matty says:

    Try this.
    Bring a pan of water to the boil
    Throw in your beans
    Bring back to the boil and boil for one minute
    Drain immediately
    Add the following
    -Lemon juice
    -Black pepper
    -Capers
    -Soft goats cheese torn or scooped into chunks
    Stir well
    EatReport

  6. DensityDuck says:

    I’m a little concerned about telling people to intentionally throw water on hot oil. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher close to hand, particularly if you’re working with a gas range.Report

    • Sam Wilkinson in reply to DensityDuck says:

      I would certainly never recommend “throwing” water onto hot oil. I recommend adding it quickly and then covering, but it should be noted that the beans will have become coated in the oil; it isn’t simply sitting there simmering/burbling.Report

  7. Mike Dwyer says:

    I tried a variation of this for Thanksgiving. I cooked 3/4 pound bacon in a stock pot and then removed the bacon from the grease. I had thawed about 2.5 pounds of frozen italian cut beans in water and drained. I also chopped some onion. All of that went into the grease and got seasoned with salt and pepper and a little thyme. I cooked for about four minutes then added water. I needed to add a bit more than you called for due to the large quantity of beans. I simmered this for a bit and tasted. I found them a bit too under-cooked for my taste so I gave them another 10 minutes and they were just about right. I then added my secret ingredient which is about 1/4 cup of powdered ham seasoning.

    The beans went into a crockpot on warm for about 30 minutes before the family got here. Everyone liked them.Report