In this cooking video, I show you how to blanch green beans.  It’s pretty much the same technique I use across most of my green vegetables; it’s very simple to do; and it helps ensure that you have bright green, properly cooked green beans.  Blanching green beans can also be a great time saver, as you can blanch the beans well ahead of when you actually need them, and then right before you’re ready to serve just give them a quick, 30 seconds cooking and you’re good to go.  I’ll use this technique anytime, I have a lot of cooking to do at the last minute.

To Blanch Green Beans

• Bring a pot of salted water to a strong boil
• Clean the green beans by snapping off the ends – just a quarter inch or so
• Boil the green beans in the water for about 2 minutes. You don’t want to fully cooked, or tender, but about 80% cooked
• Drain the green beans out of the boiling water, and then put them into another bowl full of ice water to “Shock” them
• The cold water will stop the cooking process and help set the bright green color
• Wrap the green beans in a moist paper towel and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to use
• When you’re ready to cook, just take them out and you can sauté, boil, steam, microwave, grill…just about anything in a fraction of the time it would take starting from raw