The Complete Guide to Cooking Asparagus
It doesn’t take a master chef at a fine restaurant to produce a delicious side of asparagus. Don’t be fooled by the fancy appearance of this luxury vegetable, it can be prepared with minimal effort in the comfort of your own kitchen. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you can learn how to cook asparagus in no time.
Asparagus is considered a super-food, high in antioxidants and loaded with folate, vitamin C and vitamin B6. In addition to the well known green variety, asparagus is available in shades of white and purple, with either thick or thin spears. All offer the same nutritional benefits and share the same taste.
How to Choose Asparagus
Fresh asparagus is at the height of it’s flavor during the months of April and May, but will begin to pop up in produce aisles by late February.
When choosing asparagus, keep in mind that the different size and color varieties are not indicative of quality. If you want to decrease preparation time, opt for the thin spears to avoid having to trim down off the tough ends on the thicker spears.
Regardless of the size you choose, be sure to select spears that are firm and straight with unopened tips.
How to Store Asparagus Prior to Cooking
Asparagus deteriorates quickly, so to preserve freshness and maintain high antioxidant levels it is important to keep spears refrigerated and use within 2 days. By placing the spears in a bowl filled with cold water in an upright position, you will help to keep the stems hydrated and prevent drying.
How to Cook Asparagus
Always begin by washing the spears in cool water. Asparagus is versatile and can be cooked in a variety of ways.
Steaming Asparagus. Steaming is a popular choice for traditionalists that enjoy their spears with a simple drizzle of olive oil. Start with a piece of kitchen string to tie the asparagus spears together at both the bottom and just below the tip. Add the bunch to 2 inches of boiling water in a large pot. Cover the pot and steam for 4-8 minutes. The bottoms of the asparagus will boil while the tips are steamed, resulting in crispy green spears.
Boiling Asparagus. For more tender spears, asparagus can be placed lengthwise in a large skillet and boiled for 5 minutes in an inch of water.
Blanching Asparagus. For dishes that call for cold asparagus, you can blanch the spears by placing them in iced water immediately after removing from hot water to halt the cooking process.
Cooking Asparagus in a Microwave. If you are wondering how to cook asparagus in a microwave, you should know that it will take the same amount of time as steaming or boiling.
- Place asparagus lengthwise in a microwave-safe baking dish.
- Angle the spears so that the tips face the center of the dish and cover with ¼ cup of water.
- Cover the dish and microwave on medium for 4-5 minutes.
Baking Asparagus. For crispy, baked asparagus, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place asparagus lengthwise on a nonstick baking sheet and drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil across the spears. Roast in center of oven for 8-10 minutes.
Sautéeing Asparagus. Asparagus works well in sautéed and stir-fried dishes. Cut spears into 2 inch diagonal pieces and add to skillet or wok with one teaspoon of olive oil. Sautee for 3 minutes.
Barbecuing Asparagus. Asparagus can be an addition to any backyard barbeque. Preheat your grill and spray with olive oil spray. Add spears to center rack and grill for 5-8 minutes or until tender. For best results, turn spears every 2 minutes.
May 21st, 2010 at 9:15 am
Just thought i would comment and say neat theme. Just bought the R-230KK Microwave. It browns meat just like an ordinary oven.
May 25th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Fantastic Info. Tweeted about it. I’ll bookmark this post too.
May 29th, 2010 at 3:49 am
That’s cool that people can take the mortgage loans and that opens completely new possibilities.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Thank you for your help!
May 29th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Its about time I found a decent site like yours. Thanks for posting!
May 29th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Great post, I think I can actually use this.
June 1st, 2010 at 4:17 pm
I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style of blogging. I added it to my favorites site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my site as well and let me know what you think.
June 6th, 2010 at 4:47 am
Its about time I found a decent site like yours. Thanks for posting!
June 8th, 2010 at 6:45 am
This is a fantastic post, but I was wondering how do I suscribe to the RSS feed?
June 11th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Hi, I’m very interested in Linux but Im a Super Newbie and I’m having trouble deciding on the right distribution for me (Havent you heard this a million times?) anyway here is my problem, I need a distribution that can switch between reading and writing in English and Japanese (Japanese Language Support) with out restarting the operating system.
June 18th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Hi, I’m very interested in Linux but Im a Super Newbie and I’m having trouble deciding on the right distribution for me (Havent you heard this a million times?) anyway here is my problem, I need a distribution that can switch between reading and writing in English and Japanese (Japanese Language Support) with out restarting the operating system.
June 26th, 2010 at 4:00 am
Pillspot.org. Canadian Health&Care.Special Internet Prices.No prescription online pharmacy.PillSpot.org. Herbal-supplements@buy.online” rel=”nofollow”>.…
Categories: Weight Loss.Anti-allergic/Asthma.Pain Relief.Anxiety/Sleep Aid.Stomach.Blood Pressure/Heart.Antiviral.Antibiotics.Antidiabetic.Mens Health.Womens Health.Eye Care.Vitamins/Herbal Supplements.Skin Care.Mental HealthAntidepressants.Stop S…
June 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Buy:Super Active ED Pack.Cialis.VPXL.Cialis Super Active+.Viagra Super Active+.Viagra Soft Tabs.Viagra Professional.Zithromax.Levitra.Soma.Tramadol.Viagra.Maxaman.Viagra Super Force.Cialis Soft Tabs.Cialis Professional.Propecia….
July 7th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Genial dispatch and this fill someone in on helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you on your information.
July 7th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Wow this is a great resource.. I’m enjoying it.. good article
July 7th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Good collection of work & excellent site!
July 7th, 2010 at 7:49 am
hey friend… i think your site is very interisting for me….. your site give me some important information.. thanks a lot!
July 7th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it, Good job My friend
July 7th, 2010 at 7:57 am
I Found your site on delicious today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later:)
July 14th, 2010 at 2:28 am
All people in my office read your blog
July 21st, 2010 at 7:48 pm
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.