String beans
Green beans (American English), French beans or runner beans (British English), also called squeaky beans, are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans. Varieties have been bred especially for the quality of the flesh, flavour, or sweetness of their pods. Smaller bean pods are often referred to by the French name haricots verts.
The first "stringless" bean was bred in 1894 by Calvin Keeney, called the "father of the stringless bean." Keeney worked in Le Roy, New York.
Green beans are of nearly universal distribution. They are marketed canned, frozen and fresh. A dish with green beans popular in the southern United States, particularly at Thanksgiving, is green bean casserole. Some restaurants in the USA serve green beans that are battered and fried. Green beans are also sold dried. They are rich in vitamin C.
How to cook string beans in a pressure cooker
Use this basic guide if you do not have a specific recipe
- Pick through the beans and discard any discoloured beans or loose skins
- Soak in cold water for a minimum of the time shown, soaking overnight is usually the best way to achieve this
- Change soaking water a few times if possible
- Never cook the beans in the water they were soaked in
- Rinse the beans well at the end of the soaking period
- Ensure the pressure cooker is at least a quarter full
- Never fill the pressure cooker more than half full
- Always cover the beans with at least 5 cm (2") water
- Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the water - this reduces foaming
- Allow the pressure cooker to get to the required pressure and then begin timing
- Use the specified pressure release method - this is the natural method in the case of dried beans or pulses
- A bean is usually perfectly cooked when it can be easily squashed between your forefinger and thumb
- If the beans are not sufficiently cooked, return to pressure, cook for another 3 minutes and allow the pressure to reduce using the natural method.
- Check that the beans are cooked to your liking.
| Type of Bean | Cold Water Soak Time (minimum) | Pressure Cooking Time | Cooking Pressure High=15 psi Med=10 psi Low=5 psi: |
Pressure Release Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snap, string or runner beans | None | 4 minutes | Low | Cold water release |
See also
- Instructions and pressure cooking times for more than 20 types of bean
- Detailed index and cooking information for more than 20 bean varieties
- Pressure cooking information and pressure cooking recipes
Seasonal Information: French Beans
This information relates to countries in the Northern Hemisphere; United Kingdom, USA, Europe, Canada, Russia, etc.
Runner Beans are at their best and in season during the following months: July & August
Seasonal Information: Runner Beans
This information relates to countries in the Northern Hemisphere; United Kingdom, USA, Europe, Canada, Russia, etc.
Runner Beans are at their best and in season during the following months: June, July, August & September
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