Green Beans in the Thermomix®

When are green beans in season?

Green beans outdoors from July to September, blanched and frozen they keep all year round.

• Jan–
• Feb–
• Mar–
• Apr–
• May–
• Jun–
• JulOutdoor crop
• AugOutdoor crop
• SepOutdoor crop
• Oct–
• Nov–
• Dec–

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing green beans

Fresh green beans (garden beans) should snap when you bend them and not give way. A deep green colour with no yellow patches is a sign of freshness. Varieties differ: dwarf beans grow as low bushes, runner beans climb up supports and grow a little longer. Yellow wax beans and purple beans are variations with a similar taste. Avoid limp, blemished or stringy pods.

Green beans keep in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, unwashed, for 2 to 4 days. For longer storage, blanch them: 3 minutes in boiling salted water, refresh straight away in iced water, drain well and freeze in portions. Frozen they keep for up to 12 months. Frozen this way they hold their colour and bite far better than if frozen raw.

Preparing green beans in the Thermomix®

We cook green beans most gently in the Varoma in the Thermomix®: put the prepared beans into the Varoma dish, 600 ml water in the mixing bowl, and steam at Varoma temperature for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pods. This keeps their colour and vitamins better than boiling in water. Important: raw green beans contain phasin, a toxic lectin that is destroyed by sufficient heating. Never eat them raw.

For braised beans we sweat onions at 120°C on speed 1, add the beans and cook at 100°C on speed 1 with a little stock until they are soft but still firm to the bite.

The most common mistakes with green beans

• Tasting raw green beans or undercooking them. Raw green beans contain phasin, a lectin that causes nausea and vomiting. It is only fully destroyed after about 15 minutes of boiling or the equivalent steaming. Never eat them raw, not even for a quick taste.
• Not removing the strings. Older varieties and over-mature pods have tough strings along the seam. Snap off the stalk and pull downwards so the string comes with it, then do the same on the other side. Young dwarf beans from the supermarket rarely have strings.
• Steaming too long in the Varoma. Beyond 25 minutes, green beans in the Varoma turn grey and soft. A firm bite is the goal. Start thin pods at 18 minutes, then check the bite. Thick runner beans can need 22 to 25 minutes.

Goes well with green beans

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

OnionsPeppersTomatoesCarrotsPotatoesCeleriac and Celery

Green Beans in the monthly calendar: