How to BLANCH Green Beans (2024)

FAQs

How to BLANCH Green Beans? ›

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.

To blanch green beans, fill a large pot of water, set over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Salt the water (per quart of water, estimate a tablespoon of kosher salt), which will bring the green beans to life and enhance their flavor. Once the water is boiling, add the beans and cook for two to three minutes.

No matter how you plan to prepare green beans—sautéed, blistered, or baked into a casserole—blanching is a good place to start. Sautéeing blanched green beans ensures they're cooked from the inside out, while the final kiss of heat provides an opportunity to introduce flavorful char, plus sauces or seasonings.

We'd recommend doing so only if you're blanching green beans briefly prior to freezing or if you're assembling a whole dish for freezing, such as a make-ahead casserole or soup. Otherwise, you risk running into mushy green beans that will add too much moisture to your recipe after you defrost.

Blanch the beans by submerging them in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the beans and let them drain for a minute. Next, pack your jars loosely with the beans. Here you're packing them loosely because they have already shrunk up from the blanching.

Green beans are a fairly easy vegetable to vacuum package. Some people blanch their green beans prior to freezing them, but by vacuum sealing them, you are preserving the quality and nutrients without the added extra step and time.

Blanching Green Beans

Let them cook for three minutes and then drain the green beans in a colander. As an alternative, you can steam the beans for three minutes rather than boiling them.

Boil until bright green and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to an ice-water bath. Once the beans are completely cool, drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Spread the green beans in a single layer on a parchment paper or silicone baking sheet-lined baking sheet, and freeze.

Enzymes are naturally occurring substances in plants that control the ripening process. Freezing only slows enzyme activity. Most frozen vegetables will lose quality in the freezer unless they have been blanched.

Green beans can be frozen in their raw state, but consider blanching and shocking them for the best results. Not only does cooking them this way lock in their vibrant green color, but Registered Dietitian and Chef Abbie Gellman says it also eliminates surface microorganisms and dirt, preventing deterioration.

How to freeze green beans and keep them crisp? ›

Blanching. Your green beans will come out bright and crisp on the other side of freezing. It's just a quick boil then dunk in ice water to prevent overcooking. Science time: The ice bath stops enzyme actions that can cause a loss in flavor, color and texture.

It's best to store your fresh green beans in the fridge, otherwise store green beans in the freezer if you want them to last longer. You can also store unwashed and unblanched green beans in the refrigerator for up to about seven days before you need to store your green beans in the freezer.

How long do you blanch green beans? Blanch green beans until they are tender-crisp and the bright green color is set. This usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes as long as your pot of water is at a rapid boil when they go in.

You load your jars with raw pack beans, add salt, pepper, and I added 1 tablespoon of crumbled bacon. You use only 2 tablespoons of water and then pressure can for normal green beans time.

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.

(No need to measure, just don't be shy.) While the water is heating up, use that prep time to rinse the green beans in a colander, then use a sharp knife to trim their woody stem ends. Add the green beans to the boiling water and set a timer for 2 minutes. The cook time will depend on the size of your green beans.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil while you prep the beans. Salting the water is important because it makes the beans more tender and enhances their flavor. Use 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt for every quart of water (if using table salt reduce to 1 tsp per quart*).

These air bubbles scatter light at the surface of the tissue, diluting the vibrant colour of the chlorophyll within. Briefly heating plant tissues by techniques such as blanching or quickly grilling causes these bubbles to expand and escape the tissue, unveiling the full, vibrant green hue.