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By KATHY SAUNDERSGREEN BEANS RANKINGS
No. 1: GFS.
No. 2: Publix Green Wise.
No. 3: Publix.
TASTER'S CHOICE
Sometimes it's good to be the writer and not the taster. That was definitely the case when Taster's Choice sampled canned, cut green beans.
By early October, I already was hearing the words "green bean casserole" thrown around at church, where volunteers are planning a Thanksgiving dinner for parishioners. Granted, the familiar casserole usually contains stringy green beans with a mixture of canned soup and fried, crunchy onions. Local grocery managers tell us plenty of canned green beans are sold at this time of year.
So, we gathered 11 brands and heated the beans as directed.
The favorite of our panelists (or best of the worst) was from Gordon Food Service (GFS) Marketplace ($2.59 for a 6-pound can). Still, the vote was nothing near a standing "O." GFS beans from the restaurant supply store in St. Petersburg received 40 of 80 possible points.
The winning beans got nods from panelists for their color, shape and size. The texture was good, too, not bruised or bumpy. They also did not have the brown spots that a few samples showed. Two of the four judges said they would buy GFS.
Judges picked Publix beans for their second and third choices.
The Publix organic Green Wise brand got 38 points, and the non-organic store brand received 36 points. The organic beans (99 cents for 14.5 ounces) could stand alone if necessary, according to panelists.
The organic beans were a little smaller than some of the others and paler. Again, two of the four judges would buy the Publix beans.
The store brand (50 cents for 14.5 ounces) was soft and a little salty, but appealed to some judges. Another disliked the store brand because he tasted vinegar. The consensus was that all of the beans could use doctoring with bacon, onion and cheddar cheese.
"I'm hard-pressed to believe that some of these beans were ever in the ground," one judge said. "I think they were all from the same factory - and the journey has not been kind."
He said he wouldn't buy any of the beans, "even for a Katrina event." Other descriptions ranged from "painter's paste" to "baby food." Also tasted were canned green beans from Del Monte (55 cents for 8 ounces); Green Giant (85 cents for 14.5 ounces); Hanover ($1.99 for a 3-pound can); Kash n' Karry (45 cents for 14.5 ounces); Libby's (69 cents for 14.5 ounces); Great Value (46 cents for 14.5 ounces); Allen's(33 cents for 14.5 ounces); and Albertsons (50 cents for 8 ounces).
Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Extension; chef Gary Kawalec, personal chef Julie Overton and Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 All products were tasted blind.
Send suggestions for product testing to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food