French Beans
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut off the stalk ends of the beans and strip off the strings.
Soak the cleaned beans in a bowl of spring water with a little salt.
Boil water in a pot and add some salt.
Cook and serve
Cook the beans in boiling water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Taste a bean to check for tenderness.
Drain the beans in a colander.
Serve the beans whole for the best flavor and color.
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.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Fresh green beans
- Provide the main body of the dish, becoming tender and mild-flavored when boiled.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the beans and the cooking water, adding flavor throughout.
The step that matters
Cook the beans until tender. Green beans need enough time in boiling water to soften their fibrous texture fully. Tasting a bean near the end of the cooking time shows whether they are ready, since undercooked beans stay tough and overcooked beans turn dull and mushy.
“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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