I think I think Costco's are excellent.

Oh, darn . . . we don't have a Costco.

But thanks!

There was a thread not too long ago in which was mentioned Trader Joe's fresh green beans that come in a bag. They're the long and thin variety and labeled as haricots verts. Very tasty.

Also discussed was that Trader Joe's produce is quite variable with both good and bad individual products. This is one I put on the "good" list.

alisande....try Wegman's, they're fresh, fat and firm.
I steam them, then saute in Wegman's Basting oil (grapeseed and Canola oils with parsley, Thyme and garlic.

We don't have a Trader Joe's either . . . but we do have Wegman's!

Not only that, Monica, but I received a bottle of Wegman's Basting Oil as a Christmas gift from a friend who has been raving about it for years and grew tired of waiting for me to buy it for myself. :-)

Now, wait--are you talking about Wegman's brand of frozen beans, or the fresh?

Thanks!

The fresh, not packaged, real green beans. Pick out the beans you want from the bin, weigh 'em and print out your label.

I don't buy any frozen vegetables.

I steam the green vegetables, pour the basting sauce in my wok and heat it up. When the beans are hot, but still green, I throw them in the wok, and saute them.

The same for broccoli, and even fresh spinach.

Why not use frozen beans, Monica....just curious? I sure would be sad, sad without plenty of frozen fruits and veggies to choose from. Beans, peas, corn, black eye and other field peas, limas, and all of my mixed fruit that I use for my daily green drink......all frozen, delicious, and healthful.

THAT being said (lol), alisande, I know what you mean about green beans! I used to enjoy frozen beans off season, but I cannot find a brand anymore, either. The fresh ones in the bins just don't look all of that appealing. I will not eat canned beans.

I can't give you a recommendation on frozen green beans - I can't stand frozen green beans. I do like them canned and can my own. But, Costco's canned green beans with a touch of sea salt taste really no different to me at all than those I can myself, I'll buy a case of those.

Fresh: I get the haricot verts at either Trader Joe's too, or buy them at Costco and repackage into servings for two with my Foodsaver. I've got some microwave steam bags now to go with my vacuum sealer, but I don't freeze them, I try to serve by the use by date on the original package.

For frozen vegetables that I find quite good at a decent price (thinking if one likes frozen beans, they might like the quality)....I buy Safeway store brand frozen microwave steam bags. The broccoli, petite Brussels sprouts, peas, & corn are great IMO.

OT - I can't eat a canned pea any more happily than I can eat a frozen green bean. Go figure.

Yeah, canned beans are like another vegetable. I've been known to put them in a soup where everything will get overcooked, but that's about it.

I prefer fresh vegetables to frozen in general, especially if they're in season, but not always. It's nice to have a supply in the freezer too. Frozen corn, for instance, can be delicious, whereas fresh corn in January . . . um, I can't comment on it because I have never dared try it. By the time it gets to the northeast from wherever it's grown, the sugar has surely turned to starch.

I don't use frozen green beans because they get soggy and limp.
I just prefer vegetables that are firm, not water soaked,.

To me, canned green beans are more grey green than green, and they are limp.

As to fruits...I also buy fresh. My morning breakfast is a bowl of cut cantaloupe , honeydew, a sliced banana and watermelon....all fresh.

I have never met a frozen green bean that I like. Other frozen veggies are okay, but of course it goes without saying that fresh is best. And I agree that even though I love green peas, the canned ones are yucky. Frozen peas are okay.

Back to the green beans... Hanover canned green beans are okay, but of course you have to cook them with some streak o' lean or similar, and "cook them to death," not just carry them through a warm kitchen. Drain the water from the beans and add fresh water for cooking.

Sue

This post was edited by Sue-va on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 2:09

I drive 2+ hours to go to Trader Joe's and stock up on the frozen green beans (haricort vert). Nothing else compares, unless you grow your own. I highly recommend them.

Small, thin, not stringy; cook up crisp and tender. Lots of flavor. They taste like they came out of the garden.

I have tried many frozen brands, name brand and store brand, and will not go back. All the others cook up as if they were frozen in water and get mushy no matter how you cook them. Yuck!!!

They do sound good, and they must be good for you to drive that far, Dees. Of course, we know you like your car..... ;-)

I like all Birdseye frozen vegetable products....without exception. However, I cook all my vegetables in the microwave oven...most uncovered and with a small amount water because I like my vegetables crisp. There are microwave cooking instructions on Birdseye packaging if my method sounds a bit bazaar. Having been raised on garden grown vegetables...I can attest to the natural, fresh taste of vegetables cooked in the manner I use...and I'm a very fussy vegetable eater. :-)

Anne

Soft and mushy veggies have been overcooked.

With a good quality frozen product that's defrosted before cooking (by being put in the fridge 24 hours in advance), you have a nearly fresh and raw product to do whatever with you like. I can't think of any variety of canned veggie, other than tomatoes or beans for cooking, that is anything other than awful tasting.

In my experience, when cooking veggies in a microwave or worse yet nuking them when frozen, there's no avoiding an undesirable outcome. It's too hot, too deep. too long, and destroys their texture. We use the microwave only for gently reheating cooked food (or melting butter), never for cooking.

Another vote here for the Trader Joe's frozen haricort vert. The best!

oops! Duplicate post removed.

This post was edited by sushipup on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 10:29

Too bad I don't have a Trader Joe's. :-)

Alisande, our closest is an hour away. I get there about once a month when I go to Costco (same area) but I can't dash out and pick up whatever I like whenever I want it. Often if we're having people over I have to be content with what I can find in our local stores where the choices are more narrow, I can't spend two hours making a round trip for food to serve.

I love almost all frozen green beans. Fresh are iffy..you never know how old they really are unless you have picked them yourself. I also like my beans cooked pretty long so they are soft...kind of buttery soft. I guess each person has their own tastes when it comes to almost everything!
Joann

I've been to a few Wegmans stores on trips to the East, they are unique in their own way. Great service and selection. I liked them a lot but they're strictly a phenomenon in a small region.

I've been to TJs store all over. They have their own vibe and decor, it's a style that doesn't much resemble what other stores do. Also, you could fit 4 or more TJs inside each of the Wegmans I visited and have space left over.

Snidely, I agree with your assessment that overcooked is mushy but there are brands that no matter HOW I cook them, they turn out mushy. It's the preserving method that is probably the issue. Sometimes they are overblanched, which would cause for excess moisture in the product. Or they may not be sufficiently shocked before freezing, which would also cause excess moisture. I found what I like and I will stick with it!!!

My standard for TJ's frozen is a couple tablespoons of water for a whole package and into the microwave they go for 7 minutes. I have Rubbermaid microwave cookware that I got back in 1983 that is used just for veggies. Drain, add some butter, salt and pepper. Toss and serve. Never soggy; lovely crisp tender. I've converted many green bean haters with this preparation.

I've also been microwave cooking since 1975. I know how to cook things properly in the microwave. ;)

I haven't read all of the responses to your post, but wanted to share a preparation of frozen green beans we enjoy when fresh aren't available. I learned this when we were living in Holland. The grocery stores there sold fresh green beans almost shredded in a French cut. I can't buy them here, so I buy frozen French cut and use the recipe from the Dutch. Microwave with butter (they call it a Magnetron lol) until crisp tender (no added liquid), season with white pepper and a bit of nutmeg. The Frenching and spices dresses up a winter vegetable option from the freezer.

Dees, my sis taught microwave cooking classes back a little earlier than that. That was when they were newly available to consumers and most, like my first, were going to probably be Amana and between $400-$600.

When they began to pick up in popularity, the different manufacturers would send her models to use for demonstration (and keep), she had microwaves to spare.

These days, other than quick cooked vegetables, heating milk or making a sauce, warming something, I rarely actually cook in mine. I'm more likely to reach for a pressure cooker than my microwave.

Thank you, Seagrass! My husband liked French-cut green beans best, and in those days we had three kids and grew (and froze) an enormous quantity of them. I can remember sitting on the porch with a little hand Frencher, doing one bean at a time.

I wasn't aware that you could buy French-cut frozen beans . . . clearly, I need a refresher course in grocery shopping! I'll try them prepared the way you describe. My Dutch ancestors should be pleased.

Morz8, I remember our first microwave: an Amana Radarange! My mother-in-law got hers in the early 1970's, and I think we got ours in 1975.

Snidely, Wegman's is a chain of supermarkets from NY state to Virginia.
They are a full service food market that has real butchers in the meat and fish departments, a large variety of fresh vegetables, including fresh truffles, and many other amenities.
With all that, their prices are mainly lower than the national food chains.And the stores are sparkling clean.

Trader Joe's is run by Aldi's. Enough said.

What's wrong with Aldi/Trader Joe's? I love them, and they are doing something right as the stores are always packed, the employees are always cheerful and seem genuinely happy and helpful. It's not as broad as a regular grocery but I love their specialty items, and haven't been disappointed at all.

I was there last week, and the cashier noticed one of my packages was sticky, so she sent someone to get me a new one. Then she noticed a package of my lettuce was torn, so she replaced it as well. Both things I didn't notice when picking them up, and probably wouldn't have until I got home but I appreciated it even though it added more time to the transaction for them.

I've heard good things about Wegman's but have never lived in an area where they are as their distribution is limited. Right now, most of my shopping is Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

I usually eat fresh veggies but I think frozen are generally considered more nutritious. Fresh vegetables are often days to weeks old by the time they are in the store, vs. frozen vegetables are processed right after being picked. I get most of my veggies from a CSA delivered to my house every week which is probably as fresh as I'm going to get outside of my own garden.

Trader Joe's is not run by Aldi. The company's are run by brothers but that's all. No products are shared.

First microwave was an Amana Radarange from 1974 that was in use until my dad passed last year. My first purchased MW was in 1981 (Panasonic microwave connection oven purchased in Japan) that is STILL kicking. I don't do much actual cooking in it anymore but it was my sole cooking appliance for 18 months.

I use my PC quite a bit as well.

Trader Joe's is not run by Aldi. Technically... But while the Albrecht brothers started their grocery business in Germany, a disagreement split them up. Theo renamed his business Aldi Nord, and would control territories north of the Rhine, plus a big chunk of Europe. Karl would head up Aldi Süd, and get southern Germany and what was left in Europe. Both companies operate stores in the United States; "Aldi Süd operates as Aldi's, and Aldi Nord is Trader JoeâÂÂs.

monica, I'm quite familiar with Wegmans. One member of my family spent several years in upstate NY, another in Pennsylvania. I made shopping visits to several different Wegmans during frequent visits to each location and (being someone with a finance occupation) I did some research to better understand their business some years ago.

duluth and dees are correct. The German company that runs Aldi stores in the US, is a different company with different owners from the German company that owns Trader Joes.

Trader Joes was a family owned company started in Southern California in the 60s and perfected a very quirky (and Californian) style from the start. It was bought by Aldi Nord in 1979. Having first visited one of their stores in the early 70s, I can tell you that while there have been changes over the years, you would most certainly recognize the style and product lines with a 40 year gap in between visits. All the way down to the Hawaiian shirts worn by the employees.

I've been to Aldis in the US, also in northern and southern Germany, and they are completely different from TJs. Aldi in the US (owned by Aldi Sud) and abroad also follows the beat of a different drum but in a very different way than does TJ.

I thought since Costco frozen green beans are good, Sam's Club/Walmart's might be good too. So today I bought a package of Walmart's Great Value and a package of Hanover's Blue Lake. I had the GV brand tonight, and it was great! I cooked them for 7 minutes, and the beans were bright green and much more tender and flavorful than the regular Hanover I've had. I'm not expecting a lot from the Blue Lake, as I'm not crazy about the variety, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Greetings Alisande,

Glad to hear that you've turned out to be at least a semi-happy camper.

It's a poor day in which one doesn't learn something ... and it looks as though you found some worthwhile information here in the past few days - the KT has, once again, lived up to its reputation of providing such.

ole joyful

These are my favorite frozen beans from Wegmans. I won't buy fresh unless they are locally in season because you know they have traveled a long ways and aren't freshly picked.

Thanks, Rose! I'll get some the next time I head to Wegman's. Or I'll ask my DIL to add some to her shopping list.