How Long To Cook Fresh Green Beans (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Maximum 15 Minutes 

We can find sources of food anywhere. It does not matter if it is plants or animals. The good part is, all of these options are high sources of vitamins and proteins, and other nutrients. These nutrients are very much required. 

There are plenty of people in the world who follow vegetarianism. That means they only prefer eating vegetables. They will choose vegetables over any other food options. Eating vegetables is a good option since it fulfills our daily need for vitamins and minerals. You have an array of options like spinach, cabbage, or Green beans if you are a vegetarian. Also, green beans have a high amount of Vitamin K and other nutrients like calcium. 

When cooked correctly, it is delicious and healthy, isn’t that a great choice?

How Long To Cook Fresh Green Beans?

Cooking is an art that goes unappreciated. Ask any cook, and they will tell you that to master this art, you should be patient. The reason is that cooking will take time. Not everything is going to take hours to cook, but still, it would take time. The time that gets invested in cooking depends on what you are cooking. 

Then comes the style of cooking, be it frying, boiling, and more. These factors will determine how fast or how long something needs to get cooked. It is a fact that vegetarian food items take comparatively less time. Whereas, Chicken, Beef, and Mutton dishes do take quite a lot of time.

A vegetable like green beans takes overall 15 minutes to get perfectly cooked. It takes a maximum of fifteen minutes, and it can take even lesser depending upon how you want your green beans cooked.

So if you are looking to eat something healthy that gets cooked quickly, green beans are the way to go. Plus, it tastes great with many combinations. You can bake it, toss it in a pan for few minutes, mix it with any other veggie, and you are good to go.

Why It Takes So Long To Cook Green Beans?

People think about why does cooking takes time. Well, for humans eating things raw is not always possible. Some vegetables can get consumed raw, while some need to get cooked. It must be safe enough to eat. Especially vegetables like green beans should get cooked a little, so it is safe to eat. Also, it enhances the taste.

You know your green beans are cooked to perfection if it still has the vibrant green color. The texture, however, becomes crispy. It is just a matter of minutes where your green beans can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked. Hence It is imminent to cook it for the mentioned period only.

There are several reasons why green beans take that long to get cooked. Some reasons are below:

• Green beans have a texture that does not require much cooking. It gets cooked in just a few minutes. However, it may take longer if you are cooking it on low heat. If you are cooking it on medium to high heat, green beans take less time to cook.
• The thickness of the bean is also a factor behind green beans taking lesser time to cook.
• To maintain the crunchiness and taste of the green beans, it is sufficient to cook them for a max of fifteen minutes on medium heat. Cooking for more time will only ruin the texture and the taste.

Conclusion

Green beans are the perfect food to satisfy both your taste buds and your hunger. Also, green beans are full of vitamins and other nutrients. Hence it becomes a great choice, especially if you are a vegetarian who wants a quick fix for lunch or dinner.

It is, however, necessary to keep a check while the green bean is getting cooked. As a minute here and there, and your fresh green beans could end up looking pale and soggy. To maintain the texture, cook it on medium to high heat for a few minutes. 

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023643812002745
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-005-0217-5