How to cook asparagus

How to cook asparagus

How to cook asparagus so that it is the taste treat it deserves to be is no mystery. Especially for those who grew up eating asparagus from a can and hating the slime, here is hope. Basically, there are 5 ways to prepare asparagus: you can eat it raw, boil it, roast it, steam it and microwave it. However, since we want to know how to cook asparagus, we have to leave the raw asparagus for the salad and look further.

Many are the suggestions on how to cook asparagus, but most of them end with the advisory: cook until "just tender". Well, that's no help, is it? The time it takes something to be 'just tender' will obviously vary from tip to stem and thick to thin. And since we know that any vegetable boiled in water loses vitamins into the water, since vitamins are water soluble, we really don't want to boil the heck out of 'em.

So let us provide two simple tricks for fresh asparagus before we tell you how to cook asparagus:

1. After washing your stalks, hold a stalk in one hand just above the white of the stalk base. With the other hand on the base, snap it sharply. Nine times out of ten, the tough, woody part of the stem will break off. You can skin the tough ends and use them in soups as a flavoring or just toss 'em.

2. To tell whether a stalk of asparagus is done, no matter how you cook asparagus, use the blade of a sharp knife or the tine of a fork and poke the thick end of the stalk. If it slips in without resistance, it's done. Simple as that.

Instructions on how to cook asparagus that use roasting suggest that you oil a casserole and line it with a single layer of asparagus. Cook at 400 degrees F. for 7 minutes, turn them, add a bit of cheese like parmesan or mozzarella and continue roasting for another 5 minutes.

One piece of advice on how to cook asparagus vegetable should include a discussion about thick versus thin stalks. Cooks advise that whether the asparagus stalks are thick or thin doesn't really affect their taste. Thicker stalks come from older, established asparagus beds. The roots, called corms, stay in the ground from year to year. The asparagus grows from these corms and are harvested as soon as they are 8-12 inches tall. What you do not want is a stalk that is shriveled or whose head is mushy. Those are truly old stalks and not worth buying.

Tip: If you have thicker stalks, you can either skin the base of the stalk with a potato peeler or slit the base with a knife for more even cooking.

Microwaving is one of the best ways on how to cook asparagus. It is easy, delicious and nutritious. You simply clean a pound of asparagus, criss-cross layers in a microwaveable dish, add a quarter cup of water and a couple dots of butter over the top, and cover with plastic wrap with a few poke holes for vents. Cook on HIGH for 5 minutes and let stand for an additional 3 minutes. Asparagus' flavor comes out when it is a bit cooler than when piping hot, so it doesn't hurt to let it rest while you serve the other parts of the meal.

Tip: Save the water in which the asparagus was steamed as it has many captured vitamins and can be used in any soup.