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Freezing runner beans

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RHYSDAD
RHYSDAD Posts: 2,346 Forumite
Do i need to de-string, blanch etc or can i pop the whole pods in a bag and then freeze? :confused: Help!! time is at a premium at the mo but i don't want to waste my lovely beans either...
"Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead."

Chinese Proverb


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  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    someone has just given me a large bag of these so I'm also waiting for an answer.
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • We just prepare them as you would if you were going to cook them, and just bag them up and freeze them. Then when we're ready to use them, we just take them out of the bag, put them straight into the steamer and cook them. A few minutes later we're eating them just as if they were fresh!!! Easy!

    If need help in preparing them, you can buy a handy little kitchen tool for a couple of quid that de-strings them, and slices them at the same time.
  • Tigsteroonie
    Tigsteroonie Posts: 24,954 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    My mum always used to cut & blanche them before freezing ... that was 20 years ago, mind.
    :heartpuls Mrs Marleyboy :heartpuls

    MSE: many of the benefits of a helpful family, without disadvantages like having to compete for the tv remote

    :) Proud Parents to an Aut-some son :)
  • matmad
    matmad Posts: 50 Forumite
    The first year we had our allotment, we just cut up the runners and froze them without blanching. They were ok ish, but didn't taste the same as fresh, and went a dull green.

    The following year (and ever since), we cut them up, blanch them for about 2 minutes, cool them down quickly, dry them off as much as possible and freeze - huge improvement! Well worth the aggro.
  • avantra
    avantra Posts: 1,331 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Five exclamation marks the sure sign of an insane mind!!!!!

    Terry Pratchett.
  • Lotus-eater
    Lotus-eater Posts: 10,789 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I experimented with various ways of cooking and freezing my french beans last year, unfortunately my labeling wasn't up to std and I'm not sure which is which :D
    But what I'm certain about is this, a shorter blanching time is better, we were under a minute for the best, I think about 30 secs, also cooking in water when they are taken out of the freezer is better than steaming, they stay firmer. Check them often when cooking.
    Like matmad, we cooled them quickly with iced water, then dried them, then froze them.
    Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
  • SEE
    SEE Posts: 722 Forumite
    I blanch mine too and leave in a sieve till cold and dry and then freeze. I drop them in boiling water for 2 minutes. I do the same with my spuds and make a huge batch of mash potato and freeze it in containers.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Halifax, taking the Xtra since 1853:rolleyes:
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
  • kandyfloss
    kandyfloss Posts: 166 Forumite
    We used to go through the palava of blanching, plunging them in cold water then drying them{in a Tea Towel to get rid of excess moisture} twenty odd years ago but found it so time consuming that we decided to try and freeze some straight after cutting them up and found that they tasted just as good as when we blanched them,plus it cost us a small fortune in gas to blanch them.We have never looked back.

    Life is too short to bother with making things too complicated.....
  • colt
    colt Posts: 54 Forumite
    We just pick them take them home top n tail and slice, they are then frozen the taste is just like they have been picked when used.
  • I've just cut them up and bunged them in the freezer too and I think the key thing is that they will keep longer, even in the freezer, if you do the whole blanching thing. However, if they're just going to be in there for a couple of months, I don't think it matters much
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