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?

3 comments

3 Comments

claireg811mo 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_martin931mo 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.

bell.taylor3d agoMost Upvoted

Sorry to jump in but that drives me crazy too when people mix up cooking terms. It's like calling grilling "broiling" or something, it just rubs me the wrong way even if the food turns out good. I had a friend who used to say she "roasted" veggies but she was really just steaming them in the oven with no oil, and I had to hold my tongue every time. Anyway, your charred green beans sound way better than any blanched bean I've ever had, so maybe the name doesn't matter as long as you know what you're doing. Have you tried charring them on a grill yet?