Essential kitchen tool: Bean slicer

My oldest brother gave this genius kitchen tool to my parents for Christmas a few years ago. Not known for his excellent gifting skills (he gave me a kitten when I was three…and when we were living in a tiny house with a newborn baby sister), this was a shockingly good find.

This little $5 tool makes preparing green beans a snap. Just break off the ends, feed them through the slicer and you’ll have a bowl of french-style beans ready in minutes. Lightly steam them and toss in some salt and pepper for a dish that will appeal to even stubborn carnivores. The end result comes out crisp and tasty. I’ve gotten so spoiled by this that I now refuse to eat green beans any other way.