| Help me again! | |
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| Nov 7, 2008 03:35 |   |
 | I like string beans very much. Every time I go to the restaurant, I order braised string bean with minced meat or sauteed string beans. Now I want to learn cook these dishes on my own. But I have a problem. I am told that if you don't cook string beans well, you might get poisoned. Is this true? How do you cook string beans? |
| Nov 7, 2008 05:29 | #1 |
| I have not heard of any dangers in cooking string beans (also known as green beans, runner beans French beans) Here are a couple of cooking methods; Method 1: Wash beans thoroughly in clear, cool water. Lift beans from the wash water and leave garden debris behind. Rinse again. Beans can be cooked whole, cut crosswise, diagonally or French-cut. If you want sweet tasting, crisp fresh beans, cut them as little as possible. Cut older, more mature beans in the French style. Boiling, steaming or microwaving are popular ways to prepare beans. Stir-frying preserves the best qualities of the fresh bean. Whatever cooking method you choose, remember to cook beans as little as possible using the smallest amount of water as possible. TIP: The fewer beans in the pan, the quicker they cook and the better they taste. If cooking more than one half Kg at a time, use separate pans. Boiling Method - In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water to a gentle boil. Add trimmed green beans and cook, uncovered, 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender (you may need to experiment with the degree of doneness you like). You can also use a steamer basket. REMEMBER: The beans will 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 in ice water immediately to stop the cooking process. You can also add any of these to add flavour; Dill, garlic, cumin, tarragon Method 2 (more exotic but might be difficult in China if you have no oven) Ingredients: 48 ml. sliced almonds (optional), 0.5 Kg. string beans, trimmed 30 ml . unsalted butter 1/2 lemon Salt Method: Preheat oven to 350º. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake, watching carefully to make sure they do not burn, until golden brown and toasty, 5 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the beans and boil until bright green and cooked through but firm to the bite (the will cook a little more later in the recipe), about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the beans are cooked, transfer them to the ice water. When cool, drain and pat dry. When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. It will melt completely, then foam up, then settle down and turn golden. Watching carefully, cook the butter just until the white milk solids turn light brown. Add the beans and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring until the beans are heated through and coated with butter 2 - 3 minutes. Squeeze the lemon half over the beans. Add salt to taste and the almonds, mix well and serve immediately. |
| Nov 7, 2008 09:09 | #2 |
| GUEST77519 | Ｉ ａｍ ａ ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ ｍｙｓｅｌｆ ａｎｄ ｈａｖｅ ｎｅｖｅｒ ｈｅａｒｄ ａｂｏｕｔ ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ ｄａｎｇｅｒ ｏｆ ｃｏｏｋｉｎｇ ｓｔｒｉｎｇ ｂｅａｎｓ ︿ ︿ |
| Nov 7, 2008 14:11 | #3 |
| The easiest way is wash the beans, remove strings. Heat the cooking oil in the wok, and stir fry the beans for 3 minutes. Sprinkle garlic powder and salt (to taste) Ready to eat |
| Nov 7, 2008 16:55 | #4 |
| cant see you getting ill from these beans, I sometimes eat 1 or 2 raw while I am preparing the rest of the food |
| Nov 9, 2008 19:28 | #5 |
| Gaffer, thanks for sharing cooking methods. GUEST77519 and Davec, the raw green beans are really poisonous. When they become mature, they contain Prussic (Hydrocyanic) Acid or Cyanogenic Aminoglycoside in quantity. If you can't cook them properly, you might be poisoned. Actually, the mature string beans which have turned purple are toxic and are not no longer fit to eat. Here are the symptom: low blood pressure, vomiting, stomach ache, circulation problems, convulsions, or heart palpitations. It is suggested that you should remove the "strings" of the green beans before cooking them. Maybe, this is helpful. This is my favourite: braised string bean with minced meat.  |
| Nov 9, 2008 19:31 | #6 |
| Dry-Fried String Beans with red chili. This is a typical Sichuan style dish. It is too hot. |
| Nov 11, 2008 08:52 | #7 |
| Dear Xiaoxiao, I've done a little research on string beans, since I am not the only one who enjoys eating them and sometimes RAW If you go to the link at the bottom of my post you can read all about the them, even the negative aspect that they contain Oxalates which can contribute to kidney stones in some people. Aside from this minor issue they are 'hao chi' cooked or raw. <String beans are so named because years ago they had a "string" - a tough fiber that ran from one tip to the other. While the string has been bred out of most varieties you'll see on the market, the name has stuck. Look for small to medium-sized pods that are velvety-looking and bright green, with no signs of wilting or wrinkling. Fresh green beans should be tender enough to eat raw. The USDA classifies string beans as snap beans, and that's exactly what the bean should do when you bend one - snap. If it's rubbery and bends, it will taste rubbery too. Tender young green beans can be added raw to crudits. To cook, simply steam or cook in a small amount of water in a covered pan for five to eight minutes, adding a dab of butter, salt, and pepper if desired. Don't overcook! String beans also freeze well if blanched for two minutes before freezing. Green beans are picked while still immature and the inner bean is just beginning to form. They are one of only a few varieties of beans that are EATEN FRESH. Although green beans vary in size they average about four inches in length. They are usually deep emerald green in color and come to a slight point at either end. They contain tiny seeds within their thin pods.> http://www.whfoods.com/ |
| Nov 11, 2008 23:39 | #8 |
| For those having renal stones and gout or gouty arthritis ailments, do stay away from stings beans or any beans for that matter. |
| Nov 12, 2008 01:00 | #9 |
| Thank you very much, Jabarootoo. I am totally confused now. I read some Chinese recipes about string beans and they say that string beans are poisonous if you don't cook them properly. However, you guys told me that string beans were not poisonous. Whom should I believe? What exactly does string beans look like? I tried to find some pictures but there are more than one kind of string beans. No.1 I eat them raw and it is ok. Actually, we call it 豇豆 in Chinese. Don't know its English name.  |
| Nov 12, 2008 01:02 | #10 |
| No.2 This is 豆角 (green beans). |
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