French Beans
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut off the stalk end of the beans, then turn to the point and strip off the strings.
If the beans are not quite fresh, dissolve a little salt in a bowl of spring water and keep it ready.
Clean and trim the beans, then throw them into the prepared water.
If the beans are a little more grown, cut them lengthwise into thin slices after stringing; for common tables, split and divide them across, but those who are nice do not use them at such a growth as to require splitting.
Cook and serve
When all beans are cleaned, put them into boiling water with some salt.
Boil the beans for fifteen or twenty minutes, then taste one to check tenderness.
When the beans are tender, remove them and drain them in a colander.
Serve the beans whole when they are young, as this preserves their delicate flavour and colour.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- French beans (in the method)
- Form the dish itself; their tenderness after boiling defines the texture being judged.
- Salt
- Seasons the beans and the soaking water, bringing out their flavour.
The step that matters
Boil the beans until just tender. Boiling in well-salted water cooks the beans through while keeping their colour and delicate flavour. Overcooking softens the texture and dulls the green colour, so tasting one bean to check tenderness helps prevent it.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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