Baked Garlic Green Beans with a Recipe Video (2024)

FAQs

What does adding vinegar to baked beans do? ›

Remove the beans from the oven and stir in a splash of apple cider vinegar. This helps cut through the sweetness and intensity of the molasses. The apple cider baked beans will continue to thicken as they cool, so allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

As with other vegetables, give them a thorough rinse before you are ready to cook with them. Trim the stem end (the end where the bean connected to the plant) which looks brown and is too tough to eat. The other end can be trimmed, but is perfectly edible, so the choice is yours.

Steak sauce and yellow mustard: add a savory, tangy balance to the brown sugar and crushed pineapple. Several splashes of worcestershire sauce is a good sub for steak sauce in a pinch. Bacon: sliced bacon covers the top of the beans and permeates each bite with flavor as they bake.

Cook Baked Beans Low and Slow

It is best to cook your baked beans for a long period of time, which allows the beans to fully soften and absorb flavors of the sauce. This also allows time for the sauce to thicken and become rich and golden.

A little butter, minced garlic, and lemon-pepper seasoning are all you need to bring the best out of fresh green beans.

Your Beans Will Cook Faster

Well, creating an alkaline (or basic) environment by adding a small amount (about 1 teaspoon per cup of dry beans) of baking soda to your soaking/cooking water can actually help your beans cook faster.

Flavor green beans with spices

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern blend of oregano, thyme, and sesame seeds that adds an earthy, nutty flavor to green beans. Chili powder is another great option if you want your dish to have a bit of heat. It also comes with the advantage of having no added salt.

But sautéing really is one of our favorite ways to cook flavorful, and definitely not mushy string beans.

Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, trim the the beans. Once the water is boiling, steam or boil the beans until tender. Drain well, then tip the cooked beans into the bowl with your dressing and toss everything together, making sure all the beans get coated.

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.

What happens if you don't rinse canned beans? ›

"It is also perfectly healthful to consume, so from a flavor perspective there is nothing wrong with not rinsing." Indeed, unrinsed canned beans can be great from a culinary standpoint in dishes like this white bean soup, where the liquid adds a "starchy richness," as the recipe developer Sheela Prakash notes.

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.

Wait until the beans are tender but not quite done to add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple teaspoons of salt to the pot. The apple cider vinegar breaks down indigestible sugars to help digestion and also brightens the flavor of the beans without the need for excess salt.

Vinegar helps with the rise of our baked goods

When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.

Sprinkle in some baking soda

As it turns out, baking soda significantly decreases the levels of raffinose, the gas-causing sugar present in beans. When should you add baking soda to beans? It works best with just a pinch (about 1/16 of a teaspoon) sprinkled into dried beans while they soak in water before cooking.