Unpopular opinion: I stopped blanching green beans for a salad garnish.

Started just giving them a quick sear in a screaming hot pan for 45 seconds with a pinch of salt. They stay crisp, get a nice char, and the prep time dropped from 10 minutes to under two. Anyone else have a garnish shortcut that actually improved the dish?

2 comments

2 Comments

claireg813d ago

Okay but that's not blanching, that's just a different cooking method. Blanching means you boil them quick and then shock them in ice water to STOP the cooking. What you're doing is a quick saute or a sear. It sounds delicious and way faster, but the words mean different things. The shortcut is great, just the name for it is off. That char you get must add a ton of flavor compared to a plain blanched bean.

james_martin933d ago

Yeah exactly, the char is the whole point. I used to blanch green beans for a salad and they were just...fine. Kind of boring. Now I just throw them in a screaming hot pan with a little oil until they get those black spots. It's a totally different thing, like you said. They get sweet and smoky instead of just crisp.