Copy Cat Recipe - TGI Friday's Green Bean Fries (2024)

FAQs

How to freeze fresh string beans? ›

Place the beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 1 hour. This step ensures the beans are thoroughly chilled before you store them in the freezer bags, helping prevent freezer burn. Freeze the green beans: Place the beans in quart-size freezer bags.

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.

To blanch green beans, fill a large pot of water, set over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Salt the water (per quart of water, estimate a tablespoon of kosher salt), which will bring the green beans to life and enhance their flavor. Once the water is boiling, add the beans and cook for two to three minutes.

Step 2: Blanch the Green Beans

To do this, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the green beans to the pot and let them cook until they turn bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to remove them from the boiling water and immediately cool them.

Blanching green beans before freezing helps them to retain that beautiful green color and crisp texture when you go to enjoy them. Skipping this step might result in your beans having a mushy texture once defrosted.

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.

If you freeze green beans without blanching them first, the texture, color, and taste won't be quite as fresh when you defrost and eat them after long-term storage. They'll be good for a couple of months in the freezer, but quickly go downhill thereafter.

“Brown spots and bean seed shapes that are coming out of the shell means that they are starting to get old,” says Amidor. That means use them ASAP or be prepared to toss them in a day or so. And if the beans are already slimy and wet, they're no longer safe to eat.

Fresh green beans in good condition will feel firm and should snap apart when bent. Older green beans that feel limp and have started to develop a slimy texture are no longer safe to eat. If you see any fuzzy mold on them, they are definitely too bad to eat.

As beans start to spoil, you may see brown spots or notice that they feel soft and slimy. They can feel limp and might have a sour, rotten smell. Moisture is usually the biggest threat to green bean freshness.

Is it safe to can green beans in a water bath canner? ›

Because green beans are low in acidity, they have to be canned in a pressure canner so they're safe to eat up to a year later. But if you're willing to increase the acidity of your green beans by pickling them, you can process them in a water-bath canner.

In summary, the safest way to eat green beans is usually cooked, but green beans can be eaten raw as well. Just be sure to wash them under running water before using them, as you would with any other produce. And because green beans contain lectins, eating them raw may result in tummy troubles.

Canning green beans using the cold pack method can be a time consuming task, but over the years I've perfected my method to try to be as effective as possible. My favorite way to can string beans is by using the cold pack method (also referred to as the raw pack method).

Using a high concentration of salt in the blanching water (2 tablespoons per quart of water) allows the green beans to tenderize rapidly, so their bright green color is preserved. The large amount of salt in the blanching water penetrates the beans' sturdy skins to season them more fully than smaller amounts would.

While the water is heating up, use that prep time to rinse the green beans in a colander, then use a sharp knife to trim their woody stem ends. Add the green beans to the boiling water and set a timer for 2 minutes. The cook time will depend on the size of your green beans.

Blanch the beans.

Boil the beans for two to three minutes, until bright green and just tender, then shock in an ice bath. Once the beans are completely cool, drain and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.

No matter how you plan to prepare green beans—sautéed, blistered, or baked into a casserole—blanching is a good place to start. Sautéeing blanched green beans ensures they're cooked from the inside out, while the final kiss of heat provides an opportunity to introduce flavorful char, plus sauces or seasonings.