Tips & tricks to make this super healthy bean a sensational side
Best to buy
Fresh green beans peak from May to October.
Cut & clean
Wash beans thoroughly in cold water and trim the tips.
Quick tip
Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans just until tender using the
smallest amount of water. They should remain bright green.
French cut
French-style beans are cut into ribbon-thin lengths. To create, trim the beans, and, using a
sharp knife, cut into thin strands.
Also indexed as: Baby French Beans, Blue Lake Green Beans,
Chinese Long Beans, Haricot Beans, Italian Beans, Purple Beans, Snap Beans, String Beans, Wax
Beans, Yard-Long Beans
Preparation, uses, and tips
Before cooking, wash beans thoroughly in clear, cool water, and trim the tips.
Boiling, steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying are popular ways to prepare beans. Whatever
cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans just until tender using the smallest amount
of water; they should remain bright green.
Green beans can be served on their own or used in salads, casseroles, soups, and
stir-fries—either whole, frenched (cut lengthwise), or cut into inch-long pieces. They
can also be pickled.
To French beans (cut them into ribbon-thin lengths), trim the beans and, using a sharp
knife or a vegetable peeler with frenching blades at one end, cut the beans into thin
strands.
Buying and storing tips
Fresh green beans are available year-round; however, peak season is May to October. Baby
green beans are extra-tender and choice. Canned and frozen green beans are available, too.
When purchasing fresh green beans, choose those that are slender, crisp, bright colored,
and blemish-free. A fresh green bean snaps crisply and feels velvety to the touch. Old beans
are paler in color, bulging, and leathery or limp. Green beans are best used immediately, but
can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, for up to five days.
Varieties
The most common varieties of green beans include plain green beans (Blue Lake is a good
variety), Italian (flat Romano), purple-podded (indistinguishable from baby green beans when
cooked), yard-long, and wax beans (which are usually pale yellow).
Many similar varieties are also available, including baby French, haricot, and Chinese
long. Baby French and haricot beans are thinner and more tender than conventional long beans.
Chinese long beans measure 12 to 14 inches (30.48–35.56cm) in length and are prepared
the same as regular green beans.
Nutrition Highlights
Beans (snap, green, raw), 10 beans (4 inches
[10cm] long) (55g)
Calories: 17
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 4g
Total Fat: 0.06g
Fiber: 1.9g