# Can I just saute green beans?



## crankin

If I have fresh green beans, do I need to blanch them first or can I just saute them?


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## Katie H

You should blanch them in boiling salted water for a few minutes before sauteeing them, crankin.


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## auntdot

To me it depends upon the thickness of the beans.  If they are small, or I have cut them the long way as in Frenching, sure.  If they are thicker, them parboiling will make them more tender.


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## pacanis

I always start mine in some water and with a lid on the pot, sort of half boiling, half steaming them for 10-15 minutes (with salt and a little pepper), then I drain them, add oil and saute them. I'll add more seasoning or slivered almonds if I'm in the mood. I like my veggies on the soft side, though. I do the same with broccoli, too, though I don't steam nearly as long.


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## lyndalou

I usually give them a couple of minutes (maybe 5) in boiling salted water, plunge them into an ice bathe, then saute them in garlic infused olive oil.


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## pacanis

lyndalou, is there a difference between adding garlic to the oil while it's cooking and garlic infused oil? Is _infused_ when you put the cloves right in the oil bottle and let them sit?

Thanks


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## Digger

We grow allot of green beans here on the farm. When we are going to just sauté them we just rinse and pat dry then cook in olive oil and garlic we do not blanch first and they come out great. But this is just how we do it. Everyone has a different way that works for them. Thanks Digger


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## mcnerd

I've never heard of having to blanch green beans before you saute them.  

"Boiling, steaming or microwaving are popular ways to prepare beans. Stir-frying preserves the best qualities of the fresh bean. Whatever cooking method you choose,* remember to cook beans as little as possible using the smallest amount of water as possible.*


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## expatgirl

just as an aside:  you should blanch you green beans before freezing them to retard the ongoing enzyme breakdown, too


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## Jeekinz

crankin said:


> If I have fresh green beans, do I need to blanch them first or can I just saute them?


 
Instead of boiling a seperate pot of water, put some water in your pan and blanch them there. When done, strain through a sieve, return the pan to the stove (already warm) and saute the beans.  

After a second or two, any residual water will evaporate from the pan. Then you can add the oil or butter or whatever.


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## Constance

A lot depends on the green bean. Young tender beans will cook right in the skillet. 
I like to saute them for a while, then add a small amount of liquid, put the lid on, and turn the heat down. Let them steam a few minutes until tender. 

You really should try them sauteed with a little bacon and onion.


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## bethzaring

well, after reading the first several posts I was thinking, you learn something everyday, don't you?  I had never heard of or considered blanching my green beans before sauteing them.  Then the later posts described my situation.  I am out there in the garden harvesting green beans the instant they are big enough to snap!  Yes Connie, that is exactly how I saute my green beans; with bacon, onion, and sometimes garlic and almonds.


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> lyndalou, is there a difference between adding garlic to the oil while it's cooking and garlic infused oil? Is _infused_ when you put the cloves right in the oil bottle and let them sit?
> 
> Thanks


 

You can infuse oil with garlic right in the pan by letting the garlic cook very slowly in heated oil (low heat). Then remove.

Or you can infuse oil with garlic and bottle it -- though the oil must then be kept refrigerated and used within a week to 10 days as has the potential for botulism poisoning.

If I am sauteeing them, I usually blanch my beans in plenty of salted boiling water -- then shock them to keep them green.  Then sautee.

I don't blanch if I'm stir frying.


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## Dina

I steam my green beans then toss them in some butter, olive oil and garlic.  I've also roasted them.  They don't necessarily have to be blanched in my opinion.


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## Dave Hutchins

Here is my take on fried green beans. My Mother taught me how to make them and have been doin it every sence
Italian fried Green beans
From the files of Mother Hutchins

First get a Dutch oven or a very large sauce pan
.1/4-1/2 pound of diced bacon (ends and pieces are very good)
Stem and snap 2 pounds of FRESH GREEN BEANS not canned
At least 8-10 cloves of fresh garlic rough chopped 
4 ounce can of tomato paste
8 ounce’s of tomato sauce
1 medium onion minced medium 
.1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
1.1/2 cups water

Fry bacon till crisp.. Add beans and fry for 10 or more minutes. Add garlic, onion and fry till fragrant add tomato paste tomato sauce salt and fresh cracked black pepper and add water stir till combined . Bring up to a boil and turn back the heat to a slow simmer let cook stirring often for at least two hours Preferably for three hours.. Or do every thing up to bring to a boil then add to crock pot set on high for two hours then turn to low and cook for at least 6-7 hours




Chefs note I sometimes add .1/2 tsp of ground Fennel and 1 TBL of oregano 
At the last .1/2 hour of cooking. At the last .1/2 hour of cooking check your seasonings and adjust for salt and pepper. Sit back put on bib and enjoy 
Recipe complements of Chef David Hutchins


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## pacanis

Thanks for answering that for me jennyema!

Jeekinz, that's exactly how I do it, in the same pot or pan. Why dirty two? 

And I don't consider what I'm doing "blanching", but maybe it is. I consider it cooking them almost all the way through. I thought blanching leaned towards the underdone side..... not the nearly done side


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## Michael in FtW

If we can trust Julia Child ....

Toss your green beans into a pot of salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes (aka parboiling or blanching) and then remove to a bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon or spider (aka shocking) to stop the cooking. This brightens and sets the color.

Then, drain and toss into the hot saute pan - cook for 3-4 minutes. The theory is to not cook them for more than 7 minutes total to retain the best bright green color.

If you want the olive-drab green mush you get out of a can ... just do like my Mom used to do ... boil them for about 30-minutes!


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## RPMcMurphy

I cooked them last weekend with oil and garlic and some butter, and just put a lid on the saute pan for the first couple of minutes.


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## pacanis

Michael in FtW said:


> If you want the olive-drab green mush you get out of a can ... just do like my Mom used to do ... boil them for about 30-minutes!


 
Michael, boiling fresh green beans for a long time changes the color?

I used to buy them buy bulk, they were always that bright green color no matter how I cooked them. And I could never really get them to soften up like I prefer them. I swear I darn near boiled the pot dry trying to soften them up and get that nice, dark color. Then I started buying the darker, more expensive prepackaged ones and they started out olive green and finished olive green. As in this photo. 

If there's a trick to getting the bright green beans that you purchase loose to look like this, I'd love to hear more.


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## Jeekinz

Did you salt the water they were boiled in?


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## pacanis

Jeekinz said:


> Did you salt the water they were boiled in?


 
Me? I put salt and a little pepper on the green beans after they're in the pot, but most of them are out of the water. That's why I say I half boil them and half steam them. I usually give the pot a shake or four as they cook.


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## welise86

I have never heard of blanching them before you saute them either....I always saute mine in olive oil and a little garlic....sometimes I make them with new potatoes so i do the potatoes and onions in the olive oil first then add in the green beans....yummy!


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## Jeekinz

Hey pacanis, check out this vid.  How to Blanch Green Beans | ExpertVillage Videos

After thats done, you can saute them in a hot pan with evoo, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper for a minute to add your flavor.   I do that with asparagus too.  Works great for big dinners because you can let the veggie sit in the ice bath, then do a quick saute right before you serve.  I usually toss them in a pan that was used for the dinner already.


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## jennyema

Jeekinz said:


> Hey pacanis, check out this vid. How to Blanch Green Beans | ExpertVillage Videos
> 
> After thats done, you can saute them in a hot pan with evoo, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper for a minute to add your flavor. I do that with asparagus too. Works great for big dinners because you can let the veggie sit in the ice bath, then do a quick saute right before you serve. I usually toss them in a pan that was used for the dinner already.


 
That's exactly what I do and why.  Plus they stay very green and appetizing that way.


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## pacanis

I half expected to see a video of Paul McCartney blanching green beans 

So basically I should add a step and shock them? And boil them rather than kind of steam them? I'm _so_ confused  I like the way my green beans come out, at least when I'm using Haricot Verts and not the cheaper, bulk ones.

I'll buy a handful though next time I'm in the store and see what happens. It's worth a try.  Especially if I don't need to be committed to buying a 2lb bag.


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## jennyema

There is no right or wrong answer here.  If you like the way they come out using your method, by all means keep doing it !!


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## pacanis

jennyema said:


> There is no right or wrong answer here. If you like the way they come out using your method, by all means keep doing it !!


 
I do like them the way I cook them. I guess I don't understand why I am getting advice on cooking them unless it was in response to Michael not liking the olive color and tenderness that I like and him saying you can get that color by boiling them a long time like his mom did, or something to that effect.... I was trying to get more information on that because that never worked for me when I purchased the green beans in the bulk section. Only with those Greenline (or whatever) packaged HVs.
Like I stated, I wish I could get the same results with the cheaper green beans. If shocking them will do that for me it's worth a try.


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> I do like them the way I cook them. I guess I don't understand why I am getting advice on cooking them unless it was in response to Michael not liking the olive color and tenderness that I like and him saying you can get that color by boiling them a long time like his mom did, or something to that effect.... I was trying to get more information on that because that never worked for me when I purchased the green beans in the bulk section. Only with those Greenline (or whatever) packaged HVs.
> Like I stated, I wish I could get the same results with the cheaper green beans. If shocking them will do that for me it's worth a try.


 
I'm confused.  Sorry.

You _want_ them mushy and drab?  Or not?

It has been pointed out several times that shocking green beans locks in their bright green color.  So if that's what you want, then that's what you should do.

If you want soft, greyish beans, boil them for a long time (10+)in salted water with a little lemon juce added.   But beans in the winter time sometimes never get really soft, even when fully cooked.  Or just eat canned beans, as they are already like this.


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## bethzaring

pacanis said:


> I do like them the way I cook them. I guess I don't understand why I am getting advice on cooking them unless it was in response to Michael not liking the olive color and tenderness that I like and him saying you can get that color by boiling them a long time like his mom did, or something to that effect.... I was trying to get more information on that because that never worked for me when I purchased the green beans in the bulk section. Only with those Greenline (or whatever) packaged HVs.
> Like I stated, I wish I could get the same results with the cheaper green beans. If shocking them will do that for me it's worth a try.


 

Michael was talking about canned green beans, not fresh.


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## pacanis

bethzaring said:


> Michael was talking about canned green beans, not fresh.


 
Here's what he said; "If you want the olive-drab green mush you get out of a can ... just do like my Mom used to do ... boil them for about 30-minutes!"

I thought he meant if you boil fresh green beans for 30 minutes that they will change color to darker olive green and also turn soft.

I tried several times to get fresh green beans (the typical, around here bright green ones) to turn olive color and soften up, so they weren't what I consider al-dente, with no luck. But I get the ones in a bag and they come out perfect every time. For my taste that is. Like the ones I posted the pic of on page 2. 
Maybe the ones I bought in the bulk bin before were wintertime beans and there was no helping them turn soft, like jennyema said.

Maybe where the confusion lies is our own interpretation of what olive or bright or gray (?) green beans look like


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## bethzaring

I see, maybe he did mean boiling fresh green beans. All I know is my mom would take canned green beans and boil them for at least 30 minutes


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## pacanis

bethzaring said:


> I see, maybe he did mean boiling fresh green beans. All I know is my mom would take canned green beans and boil them for at least 30 minutes


 
 So did mine!
I have to admit I liked them though.  She added lots of butter to them.


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## bethzaring

pacanis said:


> So did mine!
> I have to admit I liked them though. She added lots of butter to them.


 
oh, you are so lucky, mine added margarine


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## pacanis

I've got no problem with margarine either. It's all I bought myself for..... _too many_....... years.
Then I run into this site and it nothing but unsalted butter, spreadable butter, EVOO, canola oil, peanut oil..... Life is good.


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## Fisher's Mom

pacanis said:


> I've got no problem with margarine either. It's all I bought myself for..... _too many_....... years.
> Then I run into this site and it nothing but unsalted butter, spreadable butter, EVOO, canola oil, peanut oil..... Life is good.


Me, too, Pacanis. All those things are new additions to my pantry, too, and wow! What a difference!


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## pacanis

One of these days, FM, you may even find a fresh herb in my fridge


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## Fisher's Mom

Whoa, slow down Pacanis. You start going down that path and who knows where you'll end up.


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## pacanis

Fisher's Mom said:


> Whoa, slow down Pacanis. You start going down that path and who knows where you'll end up.


 
Yeah..... just call me an adventurer 

The thing about fresh herbs though, and this kind of relates to this thread, is that sometimes I like to add a little Italian seasoning to my sauteing green beans. How do you do that with fresh? Grab some oregano, parsley, thyme, whatever else they put in those plastic shakers, chop it up super-fine and toss it in? That's a lot of work for just adding a little seasoning and still wanting the beans to stand out and not a bunch of leafy/chunky looking fresh spices. I can see the benefit of fresh in some dishes, but dry is so much handier and lasts forever. You don't need as much either.


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## Calliope

*Well it depends...*

Funny you should mention...I'm just getting ready to do an Asian saute I like to do in a wok in which I start with fresh green beans not blanched or steamed. I saute in sesame oil and fresh garlic, and sometimes slivered almonds or cashews, and just towards the end add just a bit of water so they steam a bit. They are still pretty firm when the dish is finished, and I toss them with a bit of sesame seeds unless I've used other nuts earlier in the dish.

If I'm going to saute green beans in a sauce like soy or teriyaki that I want it to absorb though I will give them just a bit of a steam as softening them up a bit will allow them to absorb the liquid.

I'd say you can essentially blanch them at any point in the cooking process.

Robyn


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## pacanis

hmmm, sort of like searing a steak and then finishing it in the oven...

Makes sense to me.


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## bethzaring

pacanis said:


> Yeah..... just call me an adventurer
> 
> The thing about fresh herbs though, and this kind of relates to this thread, is that sometimes I like to add a little Italian seasoning to my sauteing green beans. How do you do that with fresh? Grab some oregano, parsley, thyme, whatever else they put in those plastic shakers, chop it up super-fine and toss it in? That's a lot of work for just adding a little seasoning and still wanting the beans to stand out and not a bunch of leafy/chunky looking fresh spices. I can see the benefit of fresh in some dishes, but dry is so much handier and lasts forever. You don't need as much either.


 

errr, ummm, I use a LOT of dried herbs, buy them by the pound from Penzey's and store them in the freezer


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> Yeah..... just call me an adventurer
> 
> The thing about fresh herbs though, and this kind of relates to this thread, is that sometimes I like to add a little Italian seasoning to my sauteing green beans. How do you do that with fresh? Grab some oregano, parsley, thyme, whatever else they put in those plastic shakers, chop it up super-fine and toss it in? That's a lot of work for just adding a little seasoning and still wanting the beans to stand out and not a bunch of leafy/chunky looking fresh spices. I can see the benefit of fresh in some dishes, but dry is so much handier and lasts forever. You don't need as much either.


 

I'm a fan of both fresh and dry.  But dry herbs do not last forever.  They lose their taste over time.  6 months is a guideline.  Plus if you buy them from the supermarket you have no idea how long they have been sitting on the shelf.  That's why so many people buy their dry herbs and spices from Penzey's and other reputable spice purveyors.  There is a HUGE difference in quality for not much more, if any, in price.

Regarding fresh herbs, have you ever considered growing them?  Basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary etc. can be grown is pots or in a small garden and it's easy as can be.  Then you just snip off what you need when you need it.

Regarding green beans, many (maybe most) people prefer their beans to have a bright green color, not an olive drab color.  That's why they blanch and shock them.

To get them to turn olive drab color, cook them with an acidic ingredient.  Add some lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water.

To get them to soften, cook them for a long time, using whatever method you choose.  Salt also helps.  

*Here are the 2 ways I usually cook beans:*

1.  Blanch and shock them and set aside.  Fry up some bacon, which bacon is cooking, slice a medium onion up thinly.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside, dump most of the bacon fat but not all.  Cook onion in bacon fat till soft.  Crumble up the cooked bacon and add to pan.  Add beans and 1/4 cup water.  Stir.  Cover and cook until beans are done to your taste.

2. Mix together 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup of black soy sauce (or 1T brown sugar), 2 very finely minced garlic cloves, a thumbnail sized knob of ginger, finely minced, a bunch of scallions, chopped and 1T sesame oil.  Get out your wok and get it screaming hot.  Add some peanut oil and stir fry your beans in small batches.  Cook them until they sear and wrinkle up, but not all the way.  Drain them on paper towels as you go.  When they are all seared, dump the sauce into the wok and bring it to a boil, then add back all the beans, stir, and cook until done to your taste.  These beans can be served hot, room temp or cold.

I am growing green beans in my garden this year for the first time.  Cross your fingers.


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## Jeekinz

pacanis said:


> Yeah..... just call me an adventurer
> 
> The thing about fresh herbs though, and this kind of relates to this thread, is that sometimes I like to add a little Italian seasoning to my sauteing green beans. How do you do that with fresh? Grab some oregano, parsley, thyme, whatever else they put in those plastic shakers, chop it up super-fine and toss it in? That's a lot of work for just adding a little seasoning and still wanting the beans to stand out and not a bunch of leafy/chunky looking fresh spices. I can see the benefit of fresh in some dishes, but dry is so much handier and lasts forever. You don't need as much either.


 
Pardon the hijack.

Pacanis, fresh herbs do not replace dried herbs and spices.  I have fresh rosemary and dried rosemary and I use the both in different dishes.  That flavor of the dried Italian seasoning really only comes from the dried variety.  You could try to make it with fresh herbs, but it will not taste the same.

Fresh herbs add a natural, bright note to most dishes.  Just because you use fresh herbs, doesn't mean you throw out your spice rack.


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## Jeekinz

jennyema said:


> I am growing green beans in my garden this year for the first time. Cross your fingers.


 
They are so much better right off the vine.  I grew two types last year and would snack on them while I did my yard work.  I ran out of room for them this year.


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## MexicoKaren

Interesting discussion about green beans. I seldom buy fresh green beans because DH, like Pacanis, also likes them tender. So I buy canned (I think I have mentioned on another thread that he is not an adventurous eater). But hey, I never thought of parboiling them before sauteeing. I'm definitely gonna do that!

A couple of historical notes from one of your senior members: my mother always boiled the heck out of canned green beans because of the fear of botulism; this was especially an issue with home-canned green beans. She could never let me snatch one out of the pot before it had cooked for half an hour or so.  And my West Virginia grandma used to cook green beans for hours, with bacon ends. Sometimes added a few new potatoes. Don't knock it until you've tried it - it's very very good. I think I'll also try the Italian recipe....


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## pacanis

Geez, I turn my back for three seconds and everybody is ganging up on me.... 

I can't do multiple quotes, so I'm just going to do a lot of copy and pasting.  I think something is being lost in translation.

From bethzaring:
"errr, ummm, I use a LOT of dried herbs, buy them by the pound from Penzey's and store them in the freezer"

Why the him-hawing? I didn't mean to imply that using a lot of spice is a bad thing.  I love the taste of most veggies "natural".  Make that most foods..... I love the taste of most foods with very little seasoning. I use a little, you use a lot. No biggie. 


From Jennyema:
"I'm a fan of both fresh and dry. But dry herbs do not last forever. They lose their taste over time. 6 months is a guideline."

I didn't know that. One of those cooking shoes, AB I think, said dry herbs get stronger over time. That has always stuck in my mind and I use dried herbs that are MUCH older than 6 months, that's for sure.  A small bottle of Italian seasoning can last me years I use so little at a time.

"Regarding green beans, many (maybe most) people prefer their beans to have a bright green color, not an olive drab color."

That's fine by me. I prefer them like in that pic I referred back to. Or like in this pic:  http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f48/stuffed-meatloaf-45905.html   Scroll down to the finished dish.  That isn't bright green in my book. So I guess we will have different preferences in our color of green beans. I love them that olive drab color.

From Jeekinz:
"Pacanis, fresh herbs do not replace dried herbs and spices"

Thanks for the info. I guess I figured that once you started using fresh herbs you became a "purist" .  It's good to see that gourmet chefs still keep some dry on hand like us common folk (me)


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## jennyema

Boiling any canned vegetables seems very strange to me.

Anyway, dry herbs are stronger than the same volume of fresh but they do not get stronger over time.  Just the opposite.  They lose flavor.

If you want to be adventurous, go to Penzey's website and order a few things and see the difference for yourself.  Their italian blend "Tuscan" something-or-other is pretty good.


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## pacanis

I've been meaning to get an order from them, but wasn't sure which "package" to get.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I still don't think I will use them up in 6 months


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## GB

Don't worry about the 6 month thing pacanis. Like jenny said, it is just a guideline. The real test is to smell and taste them. If they still smell and taste good to you then there is no reason to toss them.


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> I've been meaning to get an order from them, but wasn't sure which "package" to get.
> Thanks for the suggestion, but I still don't think I will use them up in 6 months


 
They sell things in very small quantities.  I usually buy a couple of different things in the extra small size to see if I like them.

And GB is right -- 6 mos is a guideline.  A couple of years is too long for anything, IMO, though.


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## pacanis

I still use soy sauce that is from the early eighties. You can see it in that spice storage thread that was started last night.
Like I said in another thread a while back, it was before they started putting expiration dates on stuff..... so it must still be good, right?


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