On Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:11:20 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 2014-09-02 10:08 AM, sf wrote:
>
> > I think it also has to do with what kind of bean they are. Green
> > beans of my childhood were the kind you had to cook to death just to
> > chew them. Green beans of today are much more tender - Blue Lake,
> > haricot verts. They're easier to cook, but they're easier to over
> > cook too.
> >
>
> The green beans of my childhood were mostly fresh out of our garden...
> during the summer. A lot of them were blanched and frozen. They were
> always nice and tender and there was no need to cook them until they
> mushy.

It's a certain kind of bean. Don't ask me what they were, some kind
of runner bean. My grandfather had a garden, my mother shopped at the
grocery store - but the beans were the same and they were anything but
tender. Southerners still grow and like them. I've seen it mentioned
here from time to time.

In any case, my window of what's the right is probably a lot more
narrow than yours because I have trouble hitting the sweet spot with
the newer and more tender varieties too. I'd rather eat gray mush
than have them squeak against my teeth. I don't mind tender-crisp,
but I absolutely hate the squeak. They have to be cooked past that.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.