Blanching.

Drop the prepared beans into the boiling salted water. Cover briefly, to bring the water quickly back to the oil, then immediately remove the cover. Boil uncovered until the beans are just cooked through but retain a slight crunch of texture - 2 to 3 minutes for tiny beans or frenched beans; 4 to 5 whole round beans. Test by eating several.

Draining the beans.

Immediately the beans are done bring the kettle to the sink; holding the colander in place over it, tip the kettle drain out all the boiling water.

*Ahead-of-time note: Refreshing. If you are not serving at once, keep the colander in place and run cold water into the kettle. Drain again, add ice if you have enough on hand, and cover with more cold water. The faster you chill the beans the greener and fresher they will remain. As soon as they are chilled, in 3 to 4 minutes, drain again. If you are not to serve for several hours, wrap them in a clean dry towel, and refrigerate in a plastic bag.