Buzz
If green beans aren't your thing, there's likely a solid reason behind it. Your past encounters might have involved someone carelessly cracking open a can of green beans, tossing them into a saucepan, and calling it a day. Whether they were french-cut (or not) and perhaps accompanied by bacon lardons (or not), you ended up with soggy, possibly bacon-infused disappointment.
You may have also experimented with fresh-cut green beans, lovingly sautéed in butter. After spending what felt like hours (or even days) trimming those annoying green beans, you threw them in a pan, carefully tossed them, seasoned them, and perhaps even entertained the thought of calling them haricots verts. But then you took a bite and… disappointment followed. The outside? Withered and leathery. The inside? A little too firm. A total letdown, and you might even wonder if you can cook at all.
Don’t worry—you absolutely know how to cook. You just missed the key to making green beans great: embracing two essential cooking techniques—blanching them first, then charring them until they’re crispy. Consider what you want in a green bean (or any vegetable, really): A flavorful exterior with a crisp-tender interior. Achieving this in one cooking step is nearly impossible, hence the need for two. Blanching gives the insides a head start, so the final charring doesn’t have to do all the work. By charring, you get the flavors you want without relying solely on a hot pan to cook the insides. It’s a bit of a hassle, but still far better than enduring bland green beans.
To start, bring a large pot of water to a boil—preferably the biggest one you own. This is because green beans are usually sold by weight, and you're likely buying a few pounds of them, even if you don't plan on eating them all right away. While the water heats up, do the laborious task of trimming your green beans. Or, if you're one of the fortunate ones who bought pre-trimmed beans, go ahead and do something more leisurely, like mastering the moonwalk or enjoying the extra time that comes with your wealth. Once the water is boiling, drop your green beans in and set a timer for two and a half minutes. This timing works for two pounds of beans. If you have less, set it for two minutes. If you're working with more, extend it by 30 seconds. And if you have *way* more, maybe you should have planned ahead before buying your own green bean farm, Mr. Moneybags.
When the timer goes off, taste one. If it makes you think, “Hmm, this is good, but it could use a bit more time,” that’s exactly what you want. Perfect! Remove them from the heat to stop the cooking process. My go-to method is to drain them into a colander filled with ice, then top them with even more ice, and rinse them with cold water. Honestly, you can skip the ice and still get decent results, but it's definitely better if you put your ice maker to work—you want these beans to be amazing, not just passable.
Now, you have options. Assuming you’ve blanched two pounds of beans, you can store them in a Foodsaver bag (after they've cooled completely) and enjoy them over the next couple of weeks. But if you're hungry *now* and are ready to make up for all the green bean disappointments of the past, here's how to proceed.
Start by grabbing a serving for two, which I’ll call a 'righteous handful.' The next step to achieving great green beans is to ensure they’re dry, so place your righteous handful onto a folded paper towel. Cover them with another folded towel and press. Keep pressing every few minutes until they're good and dry.
While they dry out, you'll need to do something that might terrify you: heat a pan to an almost unbearable temperature on your stove. (I've heard that an oven broiler can also do the job, so if you have one, good for you. My broiler is more like trying to cook with a Bic lighter, but if you've got the heat to spare, go for it.)
Place a very thin layer of high smoke-point oil (about a teaspoon of vegetable, canola, or peanut oil—definitely not olive oil) in your pan over high heat. Ideally, this should be a tri-ply stainless steel pan because it distributes heat effectively while keeping the outside of the beans charred and the inside minimally cooked. (For those of you loyal to cast iron, it works fine too—though the difference is subtle.) If you've never cranked your stove past '5,' now’s the time. If your stove goes to 10, dial it up to at least 8! It might be a little scary, but nothing beats the fear like perfectly cooked green beans. You want the oil to be lightly smoking—not heavily, but definitely not just shimmering either.
Quickly add the beans to the pan. Do this in one swift motion. I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way around the intense, *violent* hissing sound the pan will make (especially if you're using stainless steel). From this point, resist the temptation to get too fancy with your chef-like skills: My instinct, because I’m a bit of an idiot, is to toss everything around like I’m working at Per Se. But we’re not dealing with industrial-grade burners, and tossing too much does two things: It limits the time each side of each bean spends with the hot pan, reducing the char, and it increases the risk of little pan fires. (Pro tip: To avoid those tiny flames, make sure the beans are *super* dry, and if it gets too smoky, turn the heat down.) If you do get a little fire in your pan, don’t panic—just turn off the heat and let things cool down.
A better approach is to leave the beans undisturbed for at least a minute. After that, grab some tongs and flip them over so their other sides can get in on the action with the blistering pan. This will take about four to five minutes, depending on your heat level and the type of pan you're using. A good way to tell they're nearly done is by the sound: when the sizzling from the moisture evaporating has mostly died down, you're getting close. *Now* is the time to get a little chef-y, tossing the beans to make sure they’re evenly coated in oil and (mostly) uniformly charred. Get them out of the pan and onto a paper-towel-lined plate immediately.
You'll notice I didn't mention seasoning earlier, and that's because trying to season them while they cook is a lost cause. Instead, once they come off the heat, generously season with salt and pepper. That alone should be perfect, but if you're feeling adventurous, sprinkle over some of Trader Joe’s “everything but the bagel” seasoning that you thoughtfully ground into your pepper mill.
These green beans are something your childhood self could never have dreamed of. They offer a variety of textures—the smaller ones are nearly burnt, while the larger ones are charred to perfection yet still delightfully tender-crisp inside. They’ll make you appreciate a vegetable you once ignored, and maybe even make you wish you could travel back in time to help your mom perfect them.
Blanched, Charred Green Beans (serves about eight)
Ingredients
2 lbs of green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp of oil with a high smoke point, such as canola
Seasoning of your choice, adjusted to taste
Instructions
Fill a large stockpot about three-quarters full with water and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, blanch the green beans for 2-3 minutes until they’re a vibrant green and still have a slight firmness to them. Remove the green beans from the water and place them in a colander filled with ice, top with more ice, and rinse with cold water until they reach room temperature.
Take a serving for two (about a large handful or 8 ounces) and place it on a stack of paper towels. Cover with more towels to dry. The remaining beans can continue draining and be stored for later use, or cooked in additional batches.
Meanwhile, heat a thin layer of oil in a stainless steel or cast iron pan over high heat. Replace the paper towels as needed until the green beans are dry to the touch.
Once the oil is lightly smoking, carefully (but with confidence) add the green beans to the pan. Gently shake the pan to ensure an even coating of oil and full access to the pan's surface. Allow them to sear for a minute, then use tongs to periodically move and turn the beans to cook all sides.
After about four or five minutes (or when the sizzling sound subsides), toss the beans a few times to touch up any exposed spots, then remove them from the pan. Season to taste and serve immediately. If cooking in batches, you can keep the beans warm in a very low oven while preparing the next batch.
