How to Blanch Green Beans So They Actually Stay Crisp (2024)

FAQs

How to Blanch Green Beans So They Actually Stay Crisp? ›

In a large saucepan or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Meanwhile, set out a large bowl of ice water. To the pot of boiling water, add the green beans and boil until tender-crisp but still bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking.

While the beans are cooking, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. As soon as the beans are done cooking, transfer them immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking process and preserve their bright green color. Leave the beans in the bowl of ice water for a few minutes before removing them with tongs.

Store beans in a veggie crisper or an air-tight plastic container. You can keep them in the plastic bag they came in from the store, but condensation may develop and speed up spoilage. To prevent this, place a paper towel in the bag or container to absorb extra moisture, and replace it as it gets damp.

Add the green beans to the boiling water and set a timer for 2 minutes. The cook time will depend on the size of your green beans. When the timer goes off, use a pair of tongs to remove a bean and taste for a crisp-tender (not mushy) texture. If it's too firm, keep cooking for another minute, then check again.

Add a big pinch of salt, then add 1 lb. trimmed green beans to the pot and cook until crisp-tender, about 5–7 minutes. (If using haricots verts, cook for 3–5 minutes). The blanched beans should be snappy, and you should be able to bite through one without hearing it squeak.

Make sure you spread out the green beans. They can overlap some, but you want as much surface area exposed to the heat as possible for crispness. Along the same lines, you can technically double this recipe, but remember that the more you make at once, the less crispy the green beans will be.

Using a high concentration of salt in the blanching water (2 tablespoons per quart of water) allows the green beans to tenderize rapidly, so their bright green color is preserved. The large amount of salt in the blanching water penetrates the beans' sturdy skins to season them more fully than smaller amounts would.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the beans and immediately immerse in the ice water long enough to cool completely, about 15 seconds. Drain and place on paper towels to dry.

Make sure to blanch the green beans before freezing to preserve their quality. Dry the green beans thoroughly before packaging and freezing. Label the package or container with the date and contents. Use the frozen green beans within 6 to 8 months for best quality.

Unless you're cooking teeny-tiny little beans, like adzukis, you're going to need to soak them before you cook them. Most varieties should be soaked in plenty of water for 8 hours before cooking. Now, when we say, "plenty," we mean plenty. Cover your beans with at least two inches of liquid, says Saffitz.

Why do you blanch frozen green beans? ›

Blanching green beans for freezing just means boiling them in water for a few minutes, then dunking them in ice water. So why blanch green beans before freezing, when you could just freeze them fresh? This quick extra step will help the beans keep their color and flavor while in your freezer.

On a cooking note, regarding tough green beans, you may be undercooking them.

Steaming is a simple way to cook vegetables, and it leaves the flavor and much of the nutrients intact. It's slightly healthier than boiling since fewer nutrients end up in the water. Plus, steaming requires little time and attention. A steamer basket is a great kitchen tool to have on hand.

The trick to this crunchy and vibrant green bean salad is a method called “blanching and refreshing”. This simply means cooking your beans in boiling water and then plunging them into cold water to stop the cooking process and keep their wonderful colour and bite.

Because baking soda lessens the acidity of the cooking water, it also slows down the chlorophyll dulling process, thereby keeping the veggies greener for longer.

When green beans taste more like freshly-mown grass than food, and their texture is more squeaky-snap than chewable, we're not cooking them any more. We're undercooking them. Even worse, these undercooked vegetables have such a "green" flavor, we need to drown them in sauce to make them taste decent.

I suggest lining open bags of green beans with a towel to prevent moisture build-up. Stored properly, they can stay fresh for 10 days or up to 2 weeks. If they brown or turn slimy, they've gone bad.

“Store unwashed fresh bean pods in a plastic bag kept in the refrigerator crisper. Whole beans stored this way should keep for about seven days,” she says. If you plan to use them in an upcoming meal, wash them under running water. Remove both ends of the beans by either snapping them off or cutting them with a knife.

Green beans should be stored unwashed in the crisper drawer of your fridge. If they came in a bag, keep them in the bag when storing. If they came in a small berry box from the market, transfer them to a reusable storage or plastic bag before storing them in the fridge.