Cookin' Canuck | Green Beans with Balsamic Roasted Shallots Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between green beans and French beans? ›

Haricots verts are thinner and longer than American green beans, and are usually more tender. There aren't huge differences in flavor between the two; French beans have a slightly more earthy flavor, while American green beans lean a little more to the sweet and herbaceous side.

You can make your green beans in advance and reheat to eat, or simply reheat any leftovers by placing them in the oven (on a baking sheet) at 350 until they are heated through. Because they are already cooked, it won't take very long at all (maybe 5-10 minutes) and can be done on a rack beneath another dish.

In a large saucepan or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Meanwhile, set out a large bowl of ice water. To the pot of boiling water, add the green beans and boil until tender-crisp but still bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking.

There are now over 500 varieties of green beans in existence, with names including string beans, snap beans, French beans, and haricots verts. Green beans can get divided into two basic types: bush beans and pole beans. As the name suggests, bush beans grow on short stubby bushes approximately 2 feet tall.

The main different is the texture. Because French cut green beans are sliced so thinly they cook up silky and tender. The slicing also turns the veggie from a tube to a strip, which helps the beans absorb the flavors they're cooked with (more on that below).

Beginners should look for climbing French bean varieties that are known for being easy to grow. The best seller by a long way is 'Cobra', a generally reliable variety with good disease resistance.

These delicious green beans are easy to make and they can be prepared ahead of time and reheated right before serving.

“Store unwashed fresh bean pods in a plastic bag kept in the refrigerator crisper. Whole beans stored this way should keep for about seven days,” she says. If you plan to use them in an upcoming meal, wash them under running water.

Microwaving canned green beans is a breeze! Drain the green beans and transfer them in an Anyday without any extra water. Cover them with the lid, and microwave for half the indicated amount or until heated through.

Blanching green beans before freezing helps them to retain that beautiful green color and crisp texture when you go to enjoy them. Skipping this step might result in your beans having a mushy texture once defrosted.

Do you add salt when blanching green beans? ›

Using a high concentration of salt in the blanching water (2 tablespoons per quart of water) allows the green beans to tenderize rapidly, so their bright green color is preserved. The large amount of salt in the blanching water penetrates the beans' sturdy skins to season them more fully than smaller amounts would.

Ice bath method (a.k.a. blanch and shock): Drain the string beans into a colander in the sink and run cold water over them (to start to cool them down). Now transfer them to a large bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and help preserve that bright green color they've achieved.

Maxibel ~ If you only get one bush bean variety, make it Maxibel. This is a full-size (7-inch pods) French filet bean that has straight, dark green pods. A very gourmet-type bean, Maxibel has a flavor that can't be beat.

French green beans, also called Haricots Verts, tend to be smaller, more tender, and quicker to cook. Their seeds are so small that they're almost unnoticeable. For these reasons, French green beans are generally considered the best green beans to buy, and they're priced accordingly.

Bush Blue Lake 274 is the most popular green bean in the U.S. This classic variety produces heavy crops of delicious pods. The most reliable variety is Provider.

French green beans (also called Haricots Verts) are slightly longer and skinnier than regular green beans and may be a little bit more expensive. They are harvested earlier then regular green beans, so they are thought to be more tender and more flavorful.

Yes, you can substitute frozen cooked French-style green beans for canned green beans in a Green Bean Casserole recipe.

The short answer: Haricot verts are a French variety of green beans, literally translating to “green beans” from French—sometimes you'll even see them sold as “French green beans”.

Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced the legume to Europe and Africa, and by the nineteenth century the slim pods became common in France as haricot verts, hence being referred to as “French” beans.