Green bean

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About Green bean
Green beans is the name used for any kind of immature beans, like the yard long bean, hyacinth bean, pea, common bean and wined bean. These plants are, in fact, fruits, but they are consumed as vegetables when they are eaten as green beans. If the plant suffers from magnesium deficiency, then the leaves turn into a yellow color. The flowers of these beans are rather small and they vary in colors, from black to white. In order to grow healthy, green beans require plenty of sunlight and fertilizer. Green beans are eaten and prepared in various ways: from canned, frozen and fresh to boiled, fried and steamed, with various spices and meats. One of the most popular green bean dishes is the green bean casserole, which is mostly served at the Thanksgiving dinner. The best way to cook the green beans is until they get tender, in order to avoid getting mushy. The green bean meals are high in vitamins A and C and they are considered a healthy dish.

These beans are often called string beans because years ago a fibrous string ran along the seam of the bean. The string was noticeable when you snapped off the ends. The snapping noise is the reason for its other nickname.

Selection
It is best to handpick green beans from a market that sells them loose. To ensure uniform cooking time, select beans of similar size and shape. Choose slender beans (no thicker than a pencil) that are crisp and free of blemishes. The beans should be a bright green color. Do not purchase beans that are stiff or have the seeds visible through the pod because those beans will be tough.

Availability
Fresh green beans are available all year, with a peak season of May to October. Green beans are also available canned and frozen.

Preparing Green bean
Wash beans thoroughly in clear, cool water. Beans can be cooked whole, cut crosswise or diagonally, or French-cut (i.e., cut along the length of the bean). If you want sweet tasting, crisp fresh beans, cut them as little as possible. Cut older, more mature beans in the French style (i.e., lengthwise).

Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to prepare green beans. This method maintains more nutrients than other cooking methods. Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans as little as possible, using the least amount of water possible.

Boiling, steaming, and microwaving are other common methods for preparing green beans. When boiling, beans may release some nutrients into the water, so try to re-use the bean water to regain some of the nutrients lost. For example, you can use the water to boil rice.

With an ever-increasing speed of life, cooking times are now more important than ever. Cooking Green bean is fast and easy, thus recommending this vegetable as a good first choice for many meals. When cooking this vegetable you should try and slice it up, so that you diminish cooking time even further. Most dishes using Green bean require you to prepare it before starting the dish, but only call for cooking it for a short time. Since this vegetable cooks so quickly, it’s a good idea to supervise it closely so that it doesn’t get overcooked.

Cooking Green bean
There are so many ways in which you can use Green bean. Cook it in soups, chop it up and toss it in salads or use it as a side dish for different meat dishes. The list of Green bean recipes is almost endless, mainly because this is a very popular vegetable in many countries and chefs are always coming up with innovative ways of preparing Green bean. Many vegetarian menus place Green bean within the top ten plants, but this nutritious vegetable is also used in many meat-based dishes.


 * Stir-frying Green bean
 * Steaming Green bean
 * Boiling Green bean
 * Pan-Frying Green bean
 * Roasting Green bean
 * Stewing Green bean

Salads
If there is a modern favorite vegetable that you can use in salads it has to be Green bean. This tasty and highly nutritious plant offers a perfect blend of taste, density and shape for any salad. Use it in strictly vegetarian dishes and salads or mix it up with fish or different dressings and sauces for an unforgettable taste.

Side dishes
Although Green bean has all the main qualities to become the “attraction” of the table, it is often used as a side dish. Many popular side dish recipes include Green bean on their ingredient list, as this vegetable offers the right mix of taste and visual elements. Meat is often accompanied by Green bean, as this creates and excellent balance from many point of view. From a nutritional point of view, Green bean is a perfect complementary element for all sorts of meat, as it offers vitamins and soluble fibers. Using Green bean in side dish recipes is also recommended because it aids digestion and makes even a heavier meal feel light.

Soups
Together with different other vegetables, Green bean is one of the main ingredients of several tasty soups that are enjoyed all over the world. Since Green bean takes a short time to cook, it’s a favorite vegetable ingredient for many cooks and professional chefs. In many recipes you will notice that the Green bean is only added towards the end of the preparation time – this is because it cooks rapidly and adding it late enables it to keep most of its nutritious elements. Often combined with chopped and minced veggies, Green bean may be used in different shapes as part of a soup.

Tips

 * Green beans continue to cook after you take them out of the boiling water. Either take them out just before they are cooked the way you like, or plunge them into ice water immediately to stop them cooking further.
 * The fewer beans in the pan, the quicker they cook and the better they taste. If cooking more than one pound at a time, use separate pans.

Storing Green bean
Keep green beans dry in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for 4 to 5 days.

Green bean Recipes
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Source

 * Fruit & Vegetable of the Month: Fresh Beans by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, public domain government resource—original source of article


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