How to Cook String Beans
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Split the string beans from end to end, then cut them into short pieces.
Cook
Boil the beans in a suitable vessel with water and add ¼ teaspoon of pearlash or saleratus.
Cook until tender and bright green.
Season with salt to taste.
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
- Pearlash or saleratus
- Raises the water's alkalinity, helping the beans stay bright green and soften as they cook.
The step that matters
Cook until tender and bright green. Overcooking makes beans dull and mushy, while undercooking leaves them fibrous. Watching colour and texture together shows when they are done.
“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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