[animalsweluvu]

i soaked my lg pot of beans over nite in tap h20 as i've always remembered from childhood. what do i do next. i have some side meat for flavoring . oh, i remembered to cut off the ends. i do not recall how long to cook or @ what flame or for how long. i;'m trying to learn some of the basics i missed b-4 my mom passed. pls give this not so informed homemaker some helpful hints. i've spent too much time w/ microwaves & box backs. tks.

[EricT]

I don't think you need to soak them in water overnight. A simple rinsing would probably be sufficient.

Anyway, there are two ways I like to cook fresh green beans.

One is to steam them or boil them for just a couple of minutes, until they turn bright green. I like my beans crisp. Then put on a little butter, salt, and pepper.

Another way I like to prepare them is to saute them in a little olive oil, and again top with salt and pepper. In this way you would heat a skillet over medium-high heat. After the pan gets hot (a couple of minutes usually), add the oil to the pan, put in the beans and just keep the beans moving around in the pan for a couple of minutes, either with a utensil or by shaking the pan.

[Jayme]

Animal-
I cook fresh green beans quite alot- I've never soaked mine overnite. I usually just break off the ends and boil them in a cup or two (depending on the quantity of beans) of water. I add a boullion cube or two- but you could add salt pork, onions, garlic - whatever you wish for flavor. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.

[deltadoc]

I never soak green beans. Just clean them, snip the stems off, steam them in a covered pot using a steam insert for about 10 minutes. Check them at about 9 minutes. THey should be firm yet tender.

Shock them immediately in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Saute some mushrooms and chopped shallots in butter. Add the green beans, zest of one lemon, and the juice of one lemon. Fresh grate a bit of nutmeg on them. Just simmer enough to bring the green beans up to temperature. Then serve.

French green beans. Been making them this way for years.

doc

[siduri]

could it be that you got the idea to soak green beans because you read about soaking beans overnight? This is done to dried beans, liek pinto, cannellini, navy beans, etc, becauase being dry they would take forever to cook otherwise. But fresh beans don;t need soaking.

[HotChef]

Originally Posted by Jayme

Animal-
I cook fresh green beans quite alot- I've never soaked mine overnite. I usually just break off the ends and boil them in a cup or two (depending on the quantity of beans) of water. I add a boullion cube or two- but you could add salt pork, onions, garlic - whatever you wish for flavor. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.

that is rather a long time in my opinion?
i drop green beans into boiling, slighty salted, water and after a max of 4-5 minutes take them out, immideately refresh them in cold / ice water.
If your FRESH beans are already a few days old and not so green anymore, a touch of baking powder / cooking soda into the boiling water, and add the beans immideately. i am well aware that the procedure will destroy some vitamins if the beans are cooked to LONG. so, blanch them only, beans should be a little bit 'crispy' and not mushy...

[Austin_]

You don't need to soak beans overnight in water if they are fresh. That would just tenderize them, which is great for meats, but could make green beans mushy. A quick wash of water is fine. I like to saute mine in lemon juice, butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

[Suzanne]

Yup, if you mean fresh beans, no soaking. And please, HotChef: NO BAKING SODA, ever, either. As you said, that destroys nutrients.

Actually, 20 minutes is not too much if you want to make them Southern-style, flavored with ham or other smoked meat; those are usually cooked until very soft.

But if you mean dried beans, have a look at my friend Rancho Gordo's site.

[Nentony]

Hey Suzanne, What a cool site!

Tony

[mudbug]

animalsweluvu,

Length of time depends on the texture you prefer, the type of dish (casserole vs pan sauteed, etc.), what variety they are, how fresh they are, and how healthy you wish them to be.

The less they are cooked, the more nutrients they retain and the more crisp they will be. Home grown fresh picked beans will generally be more tender than grocery store beans if quickly cooked with an identical method. Roma beans will be more tender than most average green beans, etc.

I personally feel that most Americans were raised with their parents overcooking their vegetables to the point where they lose their nutrients entirely (usually boiled to the point of no return) and retain no crispness. To me, vegetables should be crunchy and meat should melt in your mouth.