To think green beans are just the most revolting vegetable

[AngeloMysterioso]

They manage to be tough, stringy and weirdly spiky all the at the same time and they have the flavour of a chewed pencil. There is literally no dish I can think of that is enhanced by their presence. They’re the unpleasant bastard cousin of sugarsnap peas and mangetout.

ETA- by green beans I mean runner beans. Just in case there’s any confusion

AIBU?

I can eat green beans. I don't particularly like them but they are less revolting than a lot of other vegetables, in my opinion . However, my junior school was tiny and all the vegetables we ate were grown in its own garden. That meant we had fantastic fresh vegetables and salads in summer, but in winter we are a lot of salted green beans. They had been preserved in brine, they were grey and tasted of seawater. They were truly disgusting.

I agree that runner beans are disgusting, but peas are worse. They are the devil's arse grapes.

Apologies if this has been answered - I'm reading in time order. Runner beans are about 20-30cm long, rough om the surface. You eat the pod. They're usually sliced into very thin strips, like green tagliatelle. They used to have a stringy down each side that you removed, but now most gardeners grow stringless ones. They can be tough if they're left on the plat too long, but are delicious picked before the beans inside are fully swollen.

Green beans, aka French beans, are about 15cm long and either flat or cylindrical. As with runners, you eat the pod, and these are eaten whole, unsliced. They should not be stringy or tough or spiky. Frozen ones are a bit meh but ones you grow yourself are wonderful.

Different varieties of French beans are left to mature on the plant, and the ripe seeds are, depending on variety, pinto, flageolet, kidney beans, Heinz baked beans, etc.

Broad beans are the same length as French beans but much fatter. The pods are fur-lined, and you eat just the beans. Again, they need to be picke
d young, before the bit holding the bean into the pod has turned black.. Some recipe books tell you to remove the outer skin of the bean. Life is too short

I think people have different sensitivities to different tastes. I'm either not sensitive to bitter, or I like it - I had to give up caffeine, and therefore gave up tea as well (not fond of decaff tea) and what I really missed was the bitterness. I now drink a lot of tonic water and don't miss the tea. I also love grapefruit, and I can peel one and eat it as if it were a tangerine.

I cook all of the mentioned veg without the issues stated, the trick is learning to prepare and cook veg properly

Celery is funny stuff because it's very dull when eaten raw but it adds loads of flavour to casseroles.

The supermarket stuff's awful but if you can get 'dirty celery' or Fen celery around May time it's a totally different taste, quite strong.
When we bought our first house in '71 OH planted beans along the ugly front fence and we had red flowers as they grew, he then 'harvested' them and brought them into the kitchen. It was only then that we discovered that neither of us likes them.

Celery is funny stuff because it's very dull when eaten raw but it adds loads of flavour to casseroles.

The supermarket stuff's awful but if you can get 'dirty celery' or Fen celery around May time it's a totally different taste, quite strong.
When we bought our first house in '71 OH planted beans along the ugly front fence and we had red flowers as they grew, he then 'harvested' them and brought them into the kitchen. It was only then that we discovered that neither of us likes them.

Don't know why it's come up twice.

Interesting! I really don't like bitterness at all. With sprouts, I'm reminded of my sister's comment, that all she can taste in them is the dirt they grew in. 😄

I had a delicious Thai curry last night with green beans in and the crunch was really nice with the coconutty spicyness.
I recently discovered raw beetroot in salad having hated the pickled stuff for years, I also do a curried traybake with chickpeas

Veggie here. It’s all about getting stuff fresh, storing it well, and experimenting with the cooking. Sprouts….best quartered and stir fried…..cauliflower…..slice or use florets, drizzle of oil, add a season mix, oven roast. Courgettes……we slice, quarter, stir fry in a Bolognese. Mind…….Runner beans are my least favourite veg😁

Yep! Green beans and celery, I cannot stomach. Plus Brussels sprouts!

Any other veg, I could eat until the cows come home. 😀

I like most veg far more than I like fruit. Runner beans and broad beans are 2 I don’t like - and don’t think I’ve had okra so will need to give it a try. Love beetroot and fennel roasted (have them both on Christmas Day along with roasted butternut squash). Asparagus must be cooked as fresh as you can get it (within 24 hours preferably) then it is sweet and delicious. We are lucky as farms round here (North East Scotland) grow it. Season is ridiculously short though. Nearly missed it this year. But steamed and served with melted butter (and dipped in a soft boiled egg) it’s delicious. I also discovered this week that if you finely slice Cavolo Nero, toss in oil with a sprinkle of salt and roast in oven you get crispy seaweed as good as the Chinese takeaway.

Cooked green beans = disgusting
Raw green beans = nicer

They make me gag. I just can't eat them.

You need to blanch them. They're not safe to eat raw.

You are not picking them early enough.
Grow a 'stringless' variety for best results. Pick them when they are small, and flexible, the beans are still green when raw. They'll be yummy raw or cooked (5-7 minutes in boiling water, no longer). Don't bother with shop bought, they are at their best when picked and eaten or cooked and eaten just a few minutes later.
@PickAChew perfectly safe to eat raw, you do not need to blanch them.

Green beans, or French beans, I like cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
Runner beans, I tend to de string first but eat rarely.

Tastes way worse than it looks 🤮

They need to be cooked the Italian way - boiled, never steamed and served with extra virgin olive oil and lemon if wished.
I add chilli flakes to mine. 😋

Just remembered green bean ice lollies in China near the Goose Pagoda in Xian I think, quite nice oddly enough.

No.. it's carrots. They are the true enemy

I love kale if it's been done in the oven, I put some peri peri salt on and eat it by the bag that way!
Parsnips my dad cooks with honey and brown sugar to the point they're almost cracking with caramel. So good
I'm lazy with veg due to living alone so mostly eat those steam bags and put lots of veg in stuff I batch cook

Kale is the worst - it's pig food.

@MereDintofPandiculation

'Broad beans are the same length as French beans but much fatter. The pods are fur-lined, and you eat just the beans. Again, they need to be picke
d young, before the bit holding the bean into the pod has turned black.. Some recipe books tell you to remove the outer skin of the bean. Life is too short'

Have you tried very young B-road beans including the pod, they are delicious. Also I have skinned board beans, they were lovely skinned, but yes life is too short.

Whole pea pods bbq Ed are a bit like edamame beans...very nice with lots of salt on the pods.