Can You Wash and Eat Slimy Green Beans?
Green beans are super fresh, delicious, and hearty vegetables that are extremely versatile. Unfortunately, they are always sold in quantities far bigger than the average recipe needs.
So, what usually ends up happening is they chill in the back of your fridge for probably a little longer than they should. When you eventually grab them again, they have a slimy film on them.
But what is this? And is it possible to wash and eat slimy green beans? If the slimy film is on uncooked green beans, it is due to bacteria — the beans cannot be cleaned and eaten.
If you happen to have blanched or steamed green beans with this slimy layer, it was caused by overcooking, not harmful bacteria — simply wash them off and eat them immediately.
Today, we will look at all the potential causes of slimy green beans, which ones are safe to clean and eat, and the many ways you can prevent this from happening altogether.
Why Green Beans Get Slimy
There are few things worse in life than slimy food — intentional or otherwise! So, in order to avoid it completely or figure out how to fix it, you need to understand what caused it.
More often than not, green beans have gone slimy because they have expired. This is an immediate indication that they are not fresh and most likely shouldn’t be eaten.
However, there is actually another reason this particular veggie may get a little bit gooey.
Green beans that have been overcooked in water can also get an unappealing slimy layer on their surface.
It is crucial that you determine which of these reasons apply to your green beans. One of them is still salvageable, while the other isn’t at all!
1. The Green Beans Are Expired
This is the most common reason that green beans may be slimy.
Spoilage in food is inevitable. At some point, there are simply too many bacteria that thrive on the moisture, sugars, and oxygen surrounding the food.
When it reaches a certain point, a new type of bacteria starts developing on the surface, causing this slime.
The slimy layer on green beans is commonly referred to as “bio-film.” It’s a layer of bacteria that is extremely dangerous to ingest.
And unfortunately, the bacteria has most likely penetrated into the bean itself — they don’t just sit on the surface. This means your green beans are not safe to eat.
2. You Cooked Them for Too Long
This is the second reason that your beans may have become slimy. Unfortunately, some cooking methods can cause beans to release a slimy liquid that then sits on the surface of the cooked beans.
This usually happens to over-blanched, over-boiled, or over-steamed green beans. It isn’t all that common for dry cooking methods like roasting, grilling, charring, and pan-frying.
Can You Eat Slimy Green Beans?
Now, as you can probably guess, you cannot eat expired slimy green beans. Again, the layer of slime on the surface of the beans is just bacteria — but not the good kind!
Eating expired green beans is extremely dangerous and can cause serious food poisoning.
Some common symptoms you can get are nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and vomiting. The exact symptoms and severity will really depend on how old the green beans were and what bacteria was lurking on them.
So, can you eat green beans that get their slimy layer from over-cooking?
These types of green beans are generally completely safe to eat. The slimy film is caused by the physical texture change of the beans, not bacteria. So, their flavor will be relatively the same as well as their nutritional composition.
But you have to be a thousand percent sure that the sliminess comes from overcooking and not expiration. If you make a wrong judgment, again, you will get food poisoning.
Can You Save Slimy Green Beans?
Green beans that have expired completely cannot be saved. If the slimy layer has been caused by bacteria, you cannot wash it off.
Bacteria aren’t visible to the naked eye. So, it won’t be as easy as to “wash it off.” And, most likely, because they are so incredibly small, the bacteria has already penetrated the rest of the green bean.
So, even if you do rinse off the slimy bacteria on the outside, it’s highly likely there are tons left on the inside.
Again, what about overcooked green beans? Can they be saved in any way?
Overcooked green beans can be saved if you try. They are completely safe to eat, even with their slimy layer. But we get it. It’s not very appealing!
So, it really depends on how you cook the green beans. If they don’t have a ton of seasonings and oils on them, they will be easy to wash. This is usually plain blanched, steamed, or boiled green beans.
They can be rinsed under cold running water until you are happy with their feel, but you have to eat them immediately after they have been rinsed. If you store them this way, they will go off very quickly.
If your green beans are covered in seasonings, you can still rinse them off. But keep in mind you are then also rinsing off the other flavors. So, just something to think about before running to the sink.
Can You Prevent Green Beans from Becoming Slimy?
There are also naturally a couple of ways you can prevent green beans from becoming super slimy, but it depends on what caused their sliminess.
Avoid Overcooking the Beans
This is of course a very simple preventative method for slimy beans caused by overcooking. Whichever cooking method you choose, make sure you know how and how long to cook the green beans.
Let’s take a look at a few simple ways to cook green beans perfectly!
Blanched Green Beans
This is the best way to quickly cook green beans — it’s arguably the best way to avoid overcooking them. The beans will be cooked, have a bright green color, and retain some of their crunchiness.
First, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda to the water. This will help bring out the bright colors of the green beans, making them look fresher.
Once the water is boiling, shoot all of the prepared beans into the pot. Leave them to blanch for about 2-3 minutes. The exact cooking time depends on the thickness and size of the beans.
Once you are happy with their texture (doneness), remove them from the water.
Immediately place them into a large bowl with water and a ton of ice. The ice water will help prevent the beans from continuing to cook (which can lead them to overcook).
To reheat the beans, the best way to go is to pan-fry them. It will reheat them and give them a little crunch and more color.
Only if you serve the blanched green beans immediately can you skip the ice water step!
Steaming Green Beans
To steam green beans, prepare a pot with a steaming basket. You can also look at some tutorials that explain how to make a steamer at home with regular household supplies.
Once your water is simmering and has started to create a lot of steam, you can add your prepared green beans. Leave them to steam for roughly 5-7 minutes.
Check their progress after 5 minutes to prevent overcooking them. Once they are super tender, remove them from the steamer and serve them immediately.
If you don’t serve them immediately, place them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Or, you can undercook them a little and leave them to cool at room temperature. The residual heat will cook them until they are tender.
Store the Green Beans Correctly
This method obviously applies to avoiding slimy green beans caused by bacteria. And luckily, there are a ton of ways you can help delay the expiration of beans. But, as with all fresh produce, they won’t last forever.
First of all, always buy the freshest produce that you can. Avoid beans that are already starting to expire unless you are going to use them immediately.
Then, always store green beans in a fridge with a stable temperature. The crisper drawer is perfect! Keep them in their original packaging or lightly wrap them in brown paper bags.
Once stored, keep them in the fridge until you need them later. Don’t subject them to fluctuating temperatures.
And finally, as soon as you see them starting to show signs of spoilage, either uses them immediately or toss them.
Can You Freeze Green Beans to Prevent Them from Becoming Slimy?
If your green beans are already slimy, you shouldn’t freeze them. That goes for both bacteria-caused slimy beans and if they have been overcooked. Either way, the slime is just going to freeze and be worse when you thaw them!
But, if you want to freeze fresh green beans in order to avoid them from spoiling, you can definitely do so.
You can simply place your fresh green beans inside an airtight container. Separate them into portions that you will use. This will help prevent you from having to defrost a big clump of beans instead of what you need.
Once they are inside an airtight container, wrap the container with aluminum foil to help prevent excessive freezer burn. And finally, label the foil and freeze the beans for up to 6 months!
