Are you comfortable with steaming? I would do that rather than boiling. You can use a steamer pot or appliance, a petal or bamboo steamer basket over a pot of water, a broiler pan with water in the bottom and the beans crosswise in the oven, etc. For larger beans, like blue lake, I usually steam for 6-8 minutes depending on how many and how thick. For haricot verts, more like 4-6 minutes. Your time might vary depending on your equipment, etc.

To make them like you get at weddings, you need some grease. That's what caterers add to make them easier to hold and serve. After cooking, toss with some butter or good tasting oil. EVOO might be a stronger flavor than you're looking for. You can add some seasoning or herbs, almond slivers, or anything you think will enhance them. After you've flavored the beans, move immediately to a serving bowl so they don't sit in the excess.

Never had green beans at a wedding.....??
I boil my green beans....do HOT over cook, cut in 1 inch pieces, just cover with lightly salted water, bring to a boil adn cook for 5 minutes! No more!
Alternatively you could put 2 or 3s trips of bacon and half an onion chopped into a sauce pan....cook until the bacon is crisp and the onions caramelized, remove bacon and add your beans and about an inch of water, cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, drain and add the crumb;led bacon back to the pan.

I have cooked them in chicken broth. Much better flavor. Even if I use frozen (gross if I just microwaved them!) it comes out much better. I just like to season then with salt, pepper, and garlic powder at the end. I serve it with flat iron steak and mashed potatoes. Also try sautéing them in bacon fat.

I also boil fresh green or yellow beans in chicken broth with some finely minced onion or shallot, and a sprinkle of dried marjoram.

Saute' them with onions and garlic in bacon fat. Throw in some pine nuts or crush cashews.

Besides the great suggestions above, I will often steam/boil fresh green beans until still slightly crisp. Then I will finish them briefly (1 to 2 minutes) in a pan with a clove of garlic, butter, and 1T of whole grain mustard. Then I toss the beans with feta prior to serving.

I don't like GB much when I have grown them - stooping to pick is so painful. But, already picked from the farmers market I turn them into Hot and Spicy Pickled Green Beans. Some people eat them like hot wings (one after another) some put them in their Bloody Mary, and some chop them up to add zing to boring salads. The recipe is for canning 6 pint jars using 3 pounds of GB but I've cut it down to 1 pound for 2 jars that would last a long time in the fridge. It's from Joy of Pickling, Linda Ziedrich's wonderful book for pickling just about any fruit or vegetable.

Wedding green beans, add lots of butter, sliced almonds.

I start mine like Donna, but I want them DONE, can't stand the crisp-tender thing. To each their own, LOL. I often finish with a couple of slices of diced bacon, saute until crisp, add some chopped onions or not, saute, dump in the cooked green beans and stir. I'll also put a "mess" in the Nesco with a leftover ham bone or a smoked pork hock and cook them for a couple of hours. Yeah, that's how I like them. Elery said I should be southern, you'll never hear any of his relatives say "I think you cooked them beans too long". (grin)

I don't care for them frozen or for the gloppy "casserole" thing, and I'm not a fan of roasted either. I do can them, and I like them that way, so do my kids and grandkids.

I did try the fried green bean appetizer at a local restaurant once. Only once. (sigh) Not a single person at the table would eat the things, not even dipped in ranch or covered with copious amounts of catsup.

I agree about the wedding green beans, though. Boiled or steamed, buttered and sprinkled with slivered almonds. At least that's how I've had them at EVERY. SINGLE. WEDDING.

Annie

On the heartier side, green beans cooked til dead & done with bacon, onion & new potatoes.

A favorite way that Mom prepared home canned green beans was to saute some bacon & onion, add to the green beans along with tomato sauce and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or so...til bubbly and the flavors have had a chance to mingle. Some garlic is also a nice addition.

Both are more what I would consider cool weather type foods. Lately, I've just been nuking them and adding some butter. A grate of fresh nutmeg is nice. Not much nutmeg, just a light touch.

And we love them Chinese restaurant style--fresh beans into a smoking hot wok, fried to desired degree of doneness and finished with freshly chopped garlic added in the last minute of cooking along with either hot chili oil or toasted sesame oil to dress.

"cooked till dead" ROTFL!!!

I love them in a skillet sauteed briefly with garlic and red pepper flakes. Then some water, cover and steam until cooked, remove lid and cook till water evaporated and slightly caramelized. Splash of balsamic and serve.

"On the heartier side, green beans cooked til dead & done with bacon, onion & new potatoes."

Husband loves, what we call, "Southern green beans and taters"!

Roasted is my fave - esp. for my home grown Rattlesnake pole beans, which have way more flavour & sweetness than bush green beans, IMPO. For bush/store-bought types, sauteed/steamed (the way Jasdip describes) in butter w/ fresh chopped basil, salt & pepper is very simple & very delish.

I don't add water, other than what clings to the beans after washing & if the butter browns a bit, all the better.

Carol, I have grown the Rattlesnake beans, also Turkey Craw and Greasy Cut Short. Elery's favorite, though, is the Pink half runner, so I have a couple of rows of them. Still cooked to death, just like Blue Lake or other green bean. The only thing is, the half runners have strings. I just hate stringing the blasted things.

Annie

Thanks. I am going to try a method with both the bacon grease and the chicken broth. Canned corn as a backup :)

For company, I get haricot vert and blanch them ahead of time then refrigerate. To make them more interesting, I'll also blanch carrot sticks cut to about the same size. Then just before serving, I'll heat oil in a pan with some minced garlic, and toss in the veggies to heat sprinkled with salt and pepper. If I'm doing just beans, I love how they taste when flavored with a sprinkle of thyme.

Well, I followed Ree Drummond's recipe to cook onions and garlic (I skipped the red pepper) in bacon grease and then stir in the beans, add the chicken broth and cook for 20 minutes.

I think they are pretty good! Will have to have DH try when he returns from Home Depot. One side of his family is from the south, so he is used to well cooked green beans (always using bacon fat).

My new question -- it is 10am and they are done. How do I hold them until 5pm? I was going to put them in a covered casserole dish. Should I bother refrigerating? Leave on the counter? I am just going to heat them in the microwave later....

I'd def. refrigerate - so many hours @ room temp. can result in some serious bacterial growth....

I agree, I'd refrigerate them and then just reheat when you are ready to eat them. Green beans, even well cooked, are pretty sturdy, and hold up well to reheating even a couple of times.

Annie