Ever faced with a big bunch of green beans to trim? Snapping off each end with your fingers can take what feels like forever! A recipe like our green bean casserole calls for 2 pounds of green beans, and it can seem totally daunting. Luckily, we have a quick and easy method for how to trim green beans fast: it’s life changing! (Well, if you eat a lot of green beans, that is.)
How to trim green beans: a tutorial
Here’s Alex and my method for how to trim green beans. Remember that you can do this fast: it doesn’t need to be perfect! Follow the tutorial below.
Step 1: Grab a handful of beans and make a uniform pile.
Grab about 15 to 20 beans, then place them on the cutting board. Working quickly, make a uniform pile with them all lined up lengthwise. They don’t all need to be facing the same way! Since you’ll be cutting off both ends, they can be facing different ways.
Step 2: Line up all the ends against your knife edge, then cut them off.
Make sure all the ends of the beans are touching the edge of your knife. Then grab them in one hand, and cut off the ends with a knife.
Step 3: Line up the beans the other way, and cut off the other ends.
Quickly flip the beans the other way, and then push them towards your knife blade so that the other ends line up (see below). Then grab the pile and slice off the other ends.
Step 4: Cut the beans in bite-sized pieces (optional).
If your recipe calls for long beans (like our Roasted Green Beans), you can stop there. Or, slice the beans into bite sized pieces. And that’s it! You’ve got trimmed green beans in no time at all.
Best chef knife & cutting boards
Alex and I are often asked about the best kitchen tools. And every time we answer, “A good sharp chef’s knife!” A good knife can drastically improve your time in the kitchen, and lasts for years (we’ve had our chef knives for 10 plus years). Here are some of the knives we recommend, as well as cutting boards and the best knife sharpener. These recommendations are perfect for outfitting your own kitchen, or great gifts for a wedding registry or someone who loves to cook! Video: Knife Skills, Gear, & How to Hold a Knife!
7″ Chef’s Knife — our best knife recommendation; the one used in the video!10″ Chef’s Knife — our favorite large knife8″ Chef’s Knife — our favorite affordable knifeParing KnifeSerrated Knife / Bread KnifeNon-Slip Wood Cutting Board (used in the video!) or Non-Slip Bamboo Cutting BoardNon-Slip Plastic Cutting BoardKnife SharpenerDrawer Knife Organizer — this is how we store our knives, and it’s even slicker than a knife block
Green bean recipes
Now that you know how to trim green beans, here are some of our favorite green bean recipes for you to try:
Sauteed Green BeansGreen Beans Almondine Garlic Green BeansLemony Steamed Green Beans (or Instant Pot Green Beans with Lemon)Best Green Bean Casserole (or Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole)Roasted Green BeansGreen Bean SaladPickled Green BeansDilly BeansHow to Blanch Green BeansGreen Bean Potato Salad with DillPesto Pasta with Potatoes & Green BeansNicoise Salad Recipe
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