Questions & Answers - Are Green Beans Healthy?

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Question:

I am a Canadian living in Switzerland. Green beans are very popular here. I have been told that green beans must be well cooked because it can be very unhealthy because of prussic acid. I grew up in Canada cooking the beans as little as possible and putting butter on. Gooood!

Can you answer this thing about the prussic acid. Supposedly it was in the paper last week that they should be cooked longer because of this acid. That it is unhealthy. I realize that there is some "old school" in this belief or maybe it is all old school like many other things here. Can you comment. I need to go to my in-laws with this. Actually I need something for my wife who is influenced by the in-laws. - John Styffe (9/20/00)
 

Answers:

I, too, cook the beans like you do in Canada. My mother-in-law was from Switzerland, and she cooked all vegetables until "dead" or well cooked. It's the "old school" way of cooking vegetables which does cook "all" vitamins out of them. Kind of like eating "mush."

Following is my favorite recipe for green beans (just click on the underlined): Grilled Green Beans with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

I'm sorry but I can't help on your question of prussic acid. As I haven't read the article you are referring to. I can tell you that there doesn't seem to be any concern about cooking green beans in the United States.