Green Beans

Buy beans that are bright green and snap cleanly when you bend them; if they fold instead of snap, they're old. Trim only the stem end (the tapered tail is fine to eat) and store them unwashed in the crisper drawer, where they'll keep about a week. If you see skinny beans labeled haricots verts, grab them for sautéing but cut every cook time roughly in half, since they're thinner and go from crisp to limp fast.

Green beans are the easiest vegetable to ruin by playing it safe: low heat and a long simmer turn them army green and squeaky. High heat and short time is the name of the game, whether you're roasting at 425°F, air frying at 400°F, or sautéing over medium-high. The restaurant trick is a 2-minute blanch in salted water, then a hard sear in a hot pan, and you'll find times for every method below. I think roasted green beans with a little char beat steamed ones 10 times out of 10.