why cut off the ends of fresh green beans?

[stratford]

Why do people do this? Is it to cook the insides easier, or because the ends can be tough? I've never really 'gotten' the reason for this.

[yayadave]

In his book "The Sweet Life in Paris," David Lebovitz says the French cut the ends off to get rid of the radiation.

[alkapal]

are they wearing their tin foil hats when they do the cutting? http://derekpgilbert.com/wp-content/u...

[yayadave]

I thought maybe a glass rod pyramid. But, of course, in Paris they would strap an Eiffel Tower to their foreheads.

WHERE'S THE PICTURE???

[alkapal]

close enough -- and look, the code "ET": http://www.worldriders2.com/JournalPi...

the green beans are then prepared in the proper gallic manner, with slivers of garlic, and served with good bread and wine....

[yayadave]

You can see the correct style of head dress at the top of this page.
http://www.galeries-lafayette-paris.com/
I cropped it to insert it as a picture but it did not work. Probably didn't know what I was doing.

[alkapal]

yaya, you FOUND it! amazing sleuthing!

[Cinnamon]

Ah, so THAT is the real pièce de résistance!

[Cinnamon]

I've moved on to Asian long beans - much less labor intensive. :)

[alkapal]

except try getting that bean down your gullet without cutting it!
(reminds me of those poor octopi getting eaten alive. but at least here, the bean isn't holding on to your molars for dear life!).

[Full tummy]

Ya, those have never been less labour intensive for me!

[Cinnamon]

Oh come on! You just lay one or more on the cutting board. If it's long enough, loop it around once.

Then whap whap whap whap with the knife, like a xylophone, and you're done.

[Karen_Schaffer]

I cut both ends because the stem can be tough and I don't like the texture of that little tail in my mouth. But it's very chic to leave the tails on in some restaurants.

Btw, it's easy to grab a handful of beans, get them aligned and whack off the ends in one go on the cutting board. I mention this because I know that even a lot of experienced cooks cut beans one at a time, out of habit, and have been so grateful for this (in hindsight) obvious tip.

Also, beans are yummy on the grill, wacky as that sounds. No oil needed, just throw them on.

[Quine]

I've wasted more time "aligning" the bunch then just grapping one, whack and grap another. It seemed like such a cool deal the first few times, but it took longer for me.

How do you just throw the bean on the grill and not have them fall down the grate?

man, I am feeling really clumsy here!

[Karen_Schaffer]

I admit, the aligning & chopping technique works best when you have fairly straight beans. (It also works best when you have so many beans that you don't care if you cut a little extra off here and there!).

For putting on the grill, you have to put them on perpendicular to the gratings, of course. Larger beans, especially the flat Italian kinds (Kwintus, Marvel of Venice) work especially well, but I've used skinnier round ones like Blue Lake too. Possibly one of those veggie grilling baskets would be useful, though I haven't used them.

[silverhawk]

now, i grew up "snapping" beans, not cutting them. we snapped because the point at which the bean snapped was the point at which crispiness began--we also snapped asparagus for the same reason. also snapping lets you pull the string in the same motion. did anybody else have a mom or gramma who would take a big bowl of beans out to the porch to snap them?

[alkapal]

yep, silverhawk, i grew up snapping beans! my mom has a big plastic tub that she used to use for the purpose. that bowl is probably 45 years old.

silverhawk, i KNOW that you've done this. in snapping, discarding, throwing good beans in one container and scraps in a pile on the table, you distractedly throw the scraps into the good bowl, and the cleaned snaps into the scrap pile. (see? i KNEW you'd done it! {;^D).

[Scargod]

I've snapped and shelled peas on the back porch. Shelled so many black-eyed peas and crowders till I didn't think I wanted to see another one! And, yep, got confused and started throwing things into the wrong pile... even now.

[alkapal]

it happens every time, scargod!

the zen of pea shelling.

[shallots]

Or the zen of snapping.
No knife ever.
Just a rhythm of doing.

[alkapal]

sweeeet.

....if a pea snaps in the forest, and no one is there to hear it.....

"what is the sound of one pea snapping?"

;-).

[gfr1111]

I'm interested in this "snapping" business. Exactly where do you snap the bean and how do you do it?

[alkapal]

just using your finger and thumb, you snap off each end of the bean, then you pull the "string" off ('cause it's not good eats) and then with both hands snap the whole bean in the middle or in thirds to make them about 2-3" or so. meanwhile you are getting the bacon hot, rendering its golden treasure, ready for when you throw the whole batch into the pressure cooker to cook. here's a blogger's step by step, with photos: http://www.grannymillerblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-can-freeze-green-beans.html

for shelling peas, you sort of pop the pod by twisting or by snapping of the ends in order to strip out the peas from the pod in one fell swoop with your thumb. the dinky beans you just leave alone, because they won't have developed peas/beans inside.

(these black-eyed peas and tomatoes make a mighty fine summer picnic dish. i could eat the whole thing! http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/07/heirloom_tomatoes_with_shell_beans_vinaigrette ).

look, here's a place you can order 8# of pole beans for $15. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.southwesternproduce.com/images/16.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.southwesternproduce.com/online_sales.htm&usg=___zcpDYhsiVy-cKFWl_PF_kPGHXY=&h=336&w=448&sz=26&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=aSagTG8IuRcedM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblack%2Beyed%2Bpeas%2Band%2Bsnaps%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1 they're my favorite for good home cooking!

~~~~~~
and here are some fun facts about black eyed peas from the u.s. library of congress, just for the heck of it:
""Fun Facts about black-eyed peas:

Cultivated since pre-historic times in China and India, they are related to the mung bean. The ancient Greeks and Romans preferred them to chickpeas.

Brought to the West Indies from West Africa by slaves, by earliest records in 1674.

Originally used as food for livestock, they became a staple of the slaves’ diet. During the Civil War, black-eyed peas (field peas) and corn were thus ignored by Sherman’s troops. Left behind in the fields, they became important food for the Confederate South.

In the American South, eating black-eyed peas and greens (such as collards) on New Year’s Day is considered good luck: the peas symbolize coins and the greens symbolize paper money."" http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteri...

[Caralien]

They don't taste very good; kind of like chewing on stringy bark from a sapling.

I pop them off with my fingers, not a knife.

[Scargod]

They said the "ends", which means the tail, not the beginning or "head". Tails can stay on. Class dismissed.

[Caralien]

ends--top and bottom. what am I missing professor? I actually pinch them off with my thumbnail. If soft, not an issue. If stringy, off.

[melly]

right.

[Caralien]

I must have somehow misinterpreted the plural version of end, aka ends, to mean both top and bottom (better?)

[Scargod]

Dang! Now you're gonna pinch off the sides of the bean? What's left?
Bettered do smiley, winky thingy.... ;<)

[Full tummy]

Wow, you're tough. That would hurt my fingees.

[Karl S]

You should cut off the stem end - it's tougher than the rest of the bean and unpleasant to many eaters. The other end need not be cut off.

[Gio]

LOL @ "because Mom did."

I cut the stem end only and leave the little "tail." I used to slice them in half too but now cook them whole. Looks better on the plate IMO.

[alkapal]

gio, have you ever made the lebanese green bean dish called loubieh? it is so easy, and so delicious! you'd love it, i know! http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2007/04/green-beans-in-olive-oil-loubieh-bi.html (this is flexible recipe, and i don't use the chicken bouillon).

there is a version made with lamb and served on rice, too. http://gnowfglins.com/2006/04/24/loub...

[Gio]

Thanks Alka! They both sound delicious and the first is eerily like several COTM recipes I've made but under a different name. I've just subscribed to both blogs, BTW. I may never leave the computer again.....

[alkapal]

gio, those flavors just go together like magic and create a new flavor unity -- so savory. talk about umami!

i have some in my fridge now. when serving, i drizzle a nice evoo on top -- like the lebanese do, especially for guests!
~~~~~
ps, i wish i could get some good old fashioned pole beans! they make the best loubieh, because they're "meatier" with better texture.

(and i hear you loud and clear about the computer).

[Full tummy]

I do the same. Unless the other end is damaged...

[mnosyne]

They used to be known as stringbeans, and if you cut off the end, you were able to grab the "string" and pull it off rather easily. Now it appears the string has been bred out, but the habit dies hard.

[alkapal]

because they're tough and not good to eat, generally. if the beans are tender, no need to do so. of course, the stem always gets cut.

[kchurchill5]

Ditto here. Usually tender no to cut off one end but always the stem end for me. Just tough. But Mom did so I always did too.

[Stuffed Monkey]

Because Mom did.

[Boccone Dolce]

Yes...yes she did. So I do too! Plus they don't look like much fun to eat.
I also remember stringing them- and I call them string beans but everyone around here calls them green beans. I kinda thought they were the same animal...