Today's Tip
The French cook vegetables to their ideal state, not simply to tenderness. "Al dente" is an Italian concept. The French cook green beans until they are fully cooked but still bright — and then they immediately stop the cooking with cold water. This technique is called "refreshing." It locks color and texture precisely where you want it.
Try This
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook green beans for 4 minutes exactly. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water for 2 minutes. Drain again. Dress with butter and salt. The color should be vivid green, not army green. That difference is the technique.
Heavily salted blanching water — as salty as the sea — serves two purposes: it seasons the vegetable from the outside in, and the salt raises the boiling point slightly, which speeds cooking. The French ratio is 10 grams of salt per liter of water. Most home cooks use a tenth of this. The ice bath stops cooking by dropping the vegetable temperature faster than air can. Room-temperature water does not work; it needs to be genuinely cold.
One French lifestyle tip, every morning at 7am. Free — always.