Green Beans

Tips & tricks to make this super healthy bean a sensational side dish

Best to buy
Fresh green beans peak from May to October.

Cut & clean
Wash beans thoroughly in cold water and trim the tips.

Quick tip
Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans just until tender using the smallest amount of water. They should remain bright green.

French cut
French-style beans are cut into ribbon-thin lengths. To create, trim the beans, and, using a sharp knife, cut into thin strands.

Also indexed as: Baby French Beans, Blue Lake Green Beans, Chinese Long Beans, Haricot Beans, Italian Beans, Purple Beans, Snap Beans, String Beans, Wax Beans, Yard-Long Beans

Preparation, uses, and tips

Before cooking, wash beans thoroughly in clear, cool water, and trim the tips.

Boiling, steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying are popular ways to prepare beans. Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans just until tender using the smallest amount of water; they should remain bright green.

Green beans can be served on their own or used in salads, casseroles, soups, and stir-fries—either whole, frenched (cut lengthways), or cut into inch-long pieces. They can also be pickled.

To French beans (cut them into ribbon-thin lengths), trim the beans and, using a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler with frenching blades at one end, cut the beans into thin strands.

Buying and storing tips

Fresh green beans are available all the year round; however, peak season is May to October. Baby green beans are extra-tender and choice. Tinned and frozen green beans are available, too.

When purchasing fresh green beans, choose those that are slender, crisp, bright colored, and blemish-free. A fresh green bean snaps crisply and feels velvety to the touch. Old beans are paler in colour, bulging, and leathery or limp. Green beans are best used immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, for up to five days.

Varieties

The most common varieties of green beans include plain green beans (Blue Lake is a good variety), Italian (flat Romano), purple-podded (indistinguishable from baby green beans when cooked), yard-long, and wax beans (which are usually pale yellow).

Many similar varieties are also available, including baby French, haricot, and Chinese long. Baby French and haricot beans are thinner and more tender than conventional long beans. Chinese long beans measure 12 to 14 inches (30.48–35.56cm) in length and are prepared the same as regular green beans.

Nutrition Highlights

Beans (snap, green, raw), 10 beans (4 inches [10cm] long) (55g)
Calories: 17
Protein: 1g
Carbohydrate: 4g
Total Fat: 0.06g
Fiber: 1.9g

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.