Green Beans

theholyghost

Simple question- how do you cook green beans so they are soft and not all dry and chewy?

Whenever I cook them they are rubbery but I had them abroad recently and they were a revelation. I suppose a little added butter might help but how best to cook them?

I must be under or over doing them.

MurdyWurdy

I cook them al dente by boiling them, drain well, then put the saucepan back on the heat, add some butter and chopped garlic and cook them for a minute or two longer. Also, they are nicer if you top and tail the knobbly bits off the end

I love green beans!!

Alun

I *hate* undercooked "squeaky" beans I usually cook them 7-8 minutes, so they're just starting to go soft, drain, add a good knob of butter and lots of freshly ground black pepper and cook for a little bit longer, tossing them around in the butter.

Johnny_Fontane

You should dump them into iced water just after they are cooked, this will refresh them, keep from going rubbery and maintain a better texture.

pwurple

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

You should dump them into iced water just after they are cooked, this will refresh them, keep from going rubbery and maintain a better texture.

Yup, this. Or pour them into a colander and run the cold water over them for a second.

Or, I throw them in a pot to cook with a spalsh of water.. so they are steaming, rather than boiling.