My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
more?
Thanks for the help.

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

"Amelia" > wrote in message
om...
> Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
> include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
> water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
> more?
> Thanks for the help.

Kinda depends on how you want to serve them. Essentially what you did was
blanch the beans. You can cook fresh beans 7-8 minutes w/o making them
mushy. Dropping them in an ice water bath simply stops the cooking process.
Keep in mind that some green beans are going to be tough despite how long
you can reasonably cook them. You want to look for bright green beans, w/o
brown spots, that 'withered look' or a fading of color. Generally, the
older the green bean the tougher it is.
If you live in the northeast, green bean season is long over, so the beans
you purchased may well have been sitting in a warehouse for quite a while.

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

>Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that

=============
You probably needed to cook them a little longer--at least 5 minutes. The
ice-water bath would probably be so you could serve them cold, as in a salad.
It would keep the color nice and green, and the beans crisp.
===============>Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions
that
>include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>more?
>Thanks for the help.
>
>
>
>
>
>

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

Tough, or crispy? I don't think I've ever had tough green beans, but I have
had them mushy from overcooking.

--
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Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"

Bah! Humbug!

"Amelia" > wrote in message
om...
> Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
> include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
> water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
> more?
> Thanks for the help.

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

On 25 Dec 2003 12:18:10 -0800, (Amelia) wrote:

>Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
>include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>more?
>Thanks for the help.

Howdy,

According to Julia Child, the ice water is used because the flavor of
the beans is lost as they cool slowly...

She suggests the ice water, then reheating in a pan with some butter
when ready to eat 'em.

Also, she wants them boiled for 12 minutes...!

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

On 12/26/2003 5:38 AM, in article
, "Kenneth"
> opined:

> On 25 Dec 2003 12:18:10 -0800, (Amelia) wrote:
>
>> Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
>> include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>> water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>> more?
>> Thanks for the help.
>
> Howdy,
>
> According to Julia Child, the ice water is used because the flavor of
> the beans is lost as they cool slowly...
>
> She suggests the ice water, then reheating in a pan with some butter
> when ready to eat 'em.
>
> Also, she wants them boiled for 12 minutes...!

Are we talking canned or fresh?
>
> HTH,

--
================================================== =======================
In the world of advertising there¹s no such thing as a lie, there¹s only
the expedient exaggeration.
================================================== =======================

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf >
wrote:

>Are we talking canned or fresh?

Fresh...

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

Kenneth wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf >
> wrote:
>
>
>>Are we talking canned or fresh?
>
>
> Fresh...
>



I was wondering about canned or fresh as well. Is it possible that you
bought a bunch of tough beans at the grocery? My normal rule is to cook
them as you did, but instead of timing exactly 5 minutes, I take one out
and eat it, see if it is done, and then get the rest into that ice bath
as soon as it is. Every once in a while, I get tough beans. From the
gardening group I learned that the variety of bean you grow makes a big
difference.

--Lia

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

On 12/26/2003 8:52 AM, in article
, "Kenneth"
> opined:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf >
> wrote:
>
>> Are we talking canned or fresh?
>
> Fresh...

Country Green Beans and Ham

Vegetables

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ham shank, cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
Salt
3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
Water


In a large saucepan, with a lid, over medium heat, add the oil. Season the
ham with black pepper. Add the ham and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
Remove and set aside. Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for
2 minutes. Add the reserved ham and beans back to the pan. Cover the beans
completely with water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium
low, partially cover and cook for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and reseason
if necessary.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings




--
=======================================
Whiskey for my men, beer for my horses.
=======================================

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 11:52:07 -0500, Kenneth
> wrote:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf >
> wrote:
>
> >Are we talking canned or fresh?
>
> Fresh...

It depends on the type of green bean. I prefer to cook up
Blue Lake or haricots verts "fresh". I'm not fond of
"regular" green beans because they take too long to cook up
right and then they go quickly from being things that squeek
on your teeth to mush.


Practice safe eating - always use condiments

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

Amelia wrote:
>
> Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
> include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
> water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
> more?
> Thanks for the help.



My prese5ving guide says that beans should be blanched for
3 minutes in boiling water to stop enzyme action before freezing.
I don't think an additional 2 minutes is enough to cook them till
tender! There's a happy medium between raw and mushy, but I
don't think you have reached it in 5 minutes. My old Joy of
Cooking says "simmer till tender" and suggests 20 minutes, but
I think that by today's standards that would be mushy. They
also say not to salt till cooking is almost done to prevent
tough beans.

I'd start tasting after 10 minutes to get the texture you like.

gloria p

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

Amelia wrote:
>
>Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
>include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>more?

Why bother boiling (and lose nutrients) when you can kick it up notches yet
unheard, by stir frying/sauteing... toss green beans with oil and a garlic
clove at high heat about two minutes, then lower to medium heat and cover pan
and steam for about 2 minutes... don't need any stinkin' ice water... perhaps a
bit of black bean paste and a few toasted cashews. Under 5 minutes... BAM!


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

>"Amelia" > wrote

>> Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
>> include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>> water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>> more?

Probably the beans. Over-mature, somewhat dried-out beans can't be
magically converted to tenderness outside the old-fahioned boiling to
death method, in which case they'll still be stringy and unpleasant.
Choose slender, unspotted beans with no sign of dried out stems or
'tails.' I usually steam 'em for 2-3 minutes. They turn a pretty
bright green for immediate serving (or maybe tossing briefly in a pan
with butter and slivered almonds), or doing the ice-bath thing to stop
cooking at that point.

My green bean are too tough (horrors!)
 

In article >, (Amelia) wrote:
>Why are my fresh green beans tough when I follow the directions that
>include boiling them for 5 minutes at a full boil followed with a ice
>water bath. Is it simply a function of cooking time, or is there
>more?
>Thanks for the help.

What is your eleveation?

Water boils at different temps at different elevations.


--

Charles
The significant problems we face cannot be solved
at the same level of thinking we were at when we
created them. Albert Einstein