Green beans are tastier with one surprising ingredient

Green beans will be much tastier when you learn this simple trick. What needs to be done? It's effortless — don't limit yourself to seasoning the boiling beans with salt. One more ingredient will make this snack much better.

Green beans are a cherished childhood taste for many. Eating them on the porch of grandma's house is a memory we want to relive as often as possible—every year when the season for this tasty and healthy vegetable comes around. The question is: how did grandma prepare them to make them taste so good? As is often the case in cooking, the answer lies in the most minor details.

Cooking green beans always begins with the same task. First, we clean the pods and remove the strings, which can spoil the pleasure of eating later, especially in the case of slightly older beans. Next, we bring water to a boil and prepare the pods. However, before placing them in the water, they must be correctly seasoned.

Most people season the water with just salt. This mistake likely stems from being accustomed to cooking other foods like pasta or potatoes. Green beans should be prepared in boiling water with salt and enriched with a bit of sugar.

The proportions are very simple. For 1.1 pounds of beans, use about 1 to 1.5 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil with a level spoonful of salt and the same amount of sugar. Boil yellow beans for about 7 minutes and green beans for about twice as long. And they're ready!

How should you serve cooked green beans? Contrary to popular belief, butter and roux are not the only complements that go perfectly with this vegetable. Recently, more and more people have been serving green beans as a casserole. It turns out that combining the pods with other vegetables, cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise, then placing them in a baking dish and baking creates an ideal recipe for a family dinner.