The freshest of green beans deserve the simplest presentation. A lot of people prefer their green beans just blanched and served with salt, pepper and butter. This is the best way to enjoy the taste of very fresh green beans. Some recipes, such as cold salads that use green beans call for blanched greens beans.
Definition of blanch: This term means to plunge foods into boiling water for a few seconds or a few minutes, then remove and place in ice water. This process sets the color of vegetables, lets you easily peel fruits, and slip the skins
off nuts. The food does not cook all the way through, so crisp texture is preserved. Courtesy of
busycooks.about.com:
Blanched Green Beans
Rinse green beans and snap off ends. Make sure all the pieces are similar in length so they cook evenly. For about 1 lb. of green beans bring 1 gallon of (16 cups) of water to a boil.
Add one tablespoon of salt. Plunge the green beans into the boiling water. Let boil for at least 3 minutes. Depending on the size of the green beans this should be 3-5 minutes. Check for doneness. Immediately drain the green beans in a colander and plunge them into ice cold water to bring the temperature down. Drain/dry the beans well before using.
A rule of thumb is the beans should spend as much time in the cold water as in the hot.
Use about 1 gallon of water per 1 lb. of green beans.
Add one teaspoon per quart (4 cups) of water used.
1 lb. of trimmed green beans - cooked - yields about 2 cups (raw - 3 cups). Depending on the size of your servings it will serve 2 (1 cup servings) or 4 (1/2 cup
servings)
