My green bean are too tough (horrors!)



A

Amelia

Guest
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.
 
[email protected] (Amelia) wrote in news:af85e71d.0312251218.5607bb56
@posting.google.com:

> 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.
>

Some green beans may be old and can remain tough regardless of how long one reasonably cooks them.

Assuming the beans you bought are not old, it really is a function of cooking time. Use 5 minutes
only as a guide, but continue cooking and testing at intervals until they reach the degree of
tenderness you want. 10-15 minutes is not unusual.

The ice water bath simply halts the cooking process at that point. If to be served later hot, the
beans need only to be plunged into boiling water for about a minute to re-warm them.

HTH

Wayne
 
"Amelia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
 
>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.
>
>
>
 
Tough, or crispy? I don't think I've ever had tough green beans, but I have had them mushy from
overcooking.

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

Bah! Humbug!

"Amelia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
 
On 25 Dec 2003 12:18:10 -0800, [email protected] (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."
 
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
 
On 12/26/2003 5:38 AM, in article
[email protected], "Kenneth"
<[email protected]> opined:

> On 25 Dec 2003 12:18:10 -0800, [email protected] (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.
=========================================================================
 
On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Are we talking canned or fresh?

Fresh...

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."
 
Kenneth wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf <[email protected]> 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
 
On 12/26/2003 8:52 AM, in article
[email protected], "Kenneth"
<[email protected]> opined:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf <[email protected]> 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.
=======================================
 
On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 11:52:07 -0500, Kenneth
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 16:02:18 GMT, The Wolf <[email protected]> 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
 
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."
 
>"Amelia" <[email protected]> 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.
 
Amelia <[email protected]> says...
> 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?

How about just steaming them?

Jack

--
*Top-posters are generally ignored* aka Keet Visit my webpage at
http://junior.apk.net/~jac/ "Always proofread to see if you any words."
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (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
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom Back