Ever wonder how to French-cut green beans?
French-cut is just a fancy term for julienne or thinly sliced. Because of their slender shape, they cook faster than whole beans and offer a unique visual presentation. So what’s the secret? The magazines make it look so stylish and simple…
But it’s not.
The problem is they’re not all the same size. Some green beans are straight, some curvy, and then you get the odd bent one (or two). I’ve never been able to achieve good results by hand. The end result is a big pile of uneven, funky looking beans.
I lose sleep over stuff like this.
Eventually, I got my hands on an actual green bean cutter. Clearly not a popular item; it was on a bottom shelf about 1 inch off the floor covered in dust. I bought it anyway (only $3!). It would be the perfect solution to my problem. The package said so: pull the beans through the blades and for gorgeous, thinly sliced strands. It worked!
But.
You have to do it one-by-one and after about 10 of them, the novelty wears off. Because you have 50 more to go. You get distracted. You discover your child flushing play-doh (mock poo) down the toilet. You realize that this obsession of yours is a complete WASTE OF TIME and no one in their right mind wants to slice green beans by hand.
I lose even more sleep.
And then, the ah-ha moment we’ve all been waiting for…
THE FOOD PROCESSOR!
Didn’t I just use my processor to slice a whole mass of veg. for my cheat’s lentil soup?
The secret is the slicer blade. To begin, cut the green beans to fit the mouth of your feed tube. Stack the beans horizontally (not sticking straight up) and gently press them through. In less than 5 seconds your job is done. French-cut success!
I like mine sauteed with butter and shallots.
Try this method and you’ll see that it works. No more struggle. No more canned or frozen beans. No more drooling over glossy magazines. It’s an incredible timesaver that transforms ordinary to extraordinary. This is how to French-cut green beans like a pro! Green bean casserole anyone?
Now go on with your bad self.
Comments
Th Eileen says
Thank you. Somehow, I didn’t logically make that connection until you, well your words came off the internet page and smacked me in the head to try it with the green bean laying horizontally. I tried green beans in the food processor and I had a terrible time. Now you’ve given me hope to try again!
Victor says
That sounds good, I have small vegetable garden and I love French cut anything. My wife tried their home style recipe, but was ot pleased. I just picked about 4 lbs of green beans or string beans as we call them on LI.
I came across your page ,and like what I see.
Not sure what you call a shallot, I was planning on using fresh garlic.
Wish me luck, I will report back hopefully by Monday.
Vic
Lisa says
I am confused: to chop the green beans did you use a slicer disc or a chopping blade?
Emilie Raffa says
I use the slicer disc that comes with my food processor.
George Hamilton says
I use the cutter. Does not take that long if making for two. There’s no clean up like with a food processor. You don’t want to buy beans with large obvious seeds. They jam the cutter.
Debra says
Hi Emilie, a bought your Artisan Sourdough cookbook. I made the pita and cranberry pecan rolls today. My husband loved the rolls. They were soft and flavorful. I would put the chopped pecans on top instead of sunflower seeds the next time. I also made the pumpkin sourdough. It was sticky and my parchment baked onto the bread. I now butter the parchment if the dough is especially sticky. The bread was very tasty. I have always done 4 stretch and folds with every recipe. I noticed you don’t in many of the recipes. I’m afraid to not go it.
nancy says
can I use a blender to make french style green beans
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Nancy! I wouldn’t use a blender, it won’t work. The food processor is best.
Andrea says
I’m so excited! I jus made these usin ur tip and is brilliant! I will be makin sure everyone knows how awesome I am with my casserole tomorrow, lol Thank you!
Laurie Bundy says
Thank you for the post. I love French cut beans and usually buy frozen which the store was out of. I bought fresh and was not looking forward to trying to cut them correctly. I already had my food processer out, so I gave this idea a try. It’s a little slow to load the chute each time, but over all goes pretty fast and the results are excellent. No more frozen for me!
michelle says
Thank you . My old hands do not work like they use to and I love this style of cut. you have made me and many people very happy. See the small things in life bring much joy.
Emilie Raffa says
Michelle, I absolutely agree! You are very welcome :)
Sarah says
I may have missed it, and may be a ridiculous question, but do you cook the beans after you use the processor?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Sarah! Not a ridiculous question ;) You typically cook the beans after using the food processor.
kim Bemis says
Tried it today but my slicing blade opening is too wide so most of the beans just slid thru I tried the chopping blade and just made green mush!!!!!!
Bisquick1 says
YOU are fabulous! Saved my bacon after many years of dreading this time of year……………I’ve had that stupid KA food processor for 12 years and had never found a truly practical use for it……..thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!! Instead of taking hours or even days, it took seconds. I’m waiting for the water to boil now……..so I can bag ’em and tag ’em. I always plant too many beans and my neighbors are even tired of them so this is a perfect solution. And I think Frenched string beans freeze better than whole ones, even if they’re not perfect – they’re great in green bean ‘old school’ casserole which my husband loves. Keep up the good work saving our butts!
Deborah says
I was inspired to learn this technique after seeing this recipe on Food Network’s The Kitchen
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/bucatini-al-limone-5542446
Haze says
Wow! This was a genius tip! I make egg rolls and use green beans as part of the filling. You saved me tons of time! Gracias!
Dana says
Where did you get your silverware? White handled flatware photographs beautifully..