Cooking asparagus is extremely easy. It’s not rocket science, doesn’t require any special steps. Cooked asparagus is good as is (see tips below), or can be the starting point of several other recipes. And with a simple trick that I share with you in this recipe, the result is guaranteed to be perfect!
When it comes to preparation of asparagus, there are plenty of great options to choose from. Boiling, steaming, roasting, sautéing, and pan-roasting are some of the various ways to make the tender green spears pop with flavor. Below, I show you how to cook it, which is the most commonly used method.
Asparagus Cooking Time
The cooking time of the asparagus depends on how you serve it and also on your personal taste and preference.
If you like your asparagus very tender, cook it for 5 minutes. If you prefer it with a little crunch, 3-4 minutes should be enough.
If you use the cooked asparagus in another recipe where it will get more heat, you should cook them for only 2-3 minutes.
Cooking Vs Steaming
I find that when it comes to preparing vegetables such as asparagus, for some reason cooking sounds like an inferior method to steaming. Steamed asparagus seems to be noble, even healthy just by the name. On the other hand, some people might think that cooking asparagus is a cheap preparation method that destroys the ingredient and the nutrients.
Of course you can choose to steam your asparagus, this recipe is not about that. On the other hand please consider the following when trying to judge the two methods:
- Often times when people refer to steamed vegetables they simply use this more noble expression for cooked ingredients.
- This preparation I show you is halfway between cooking through and blanching.
- Both methods, cooking and steaming, use water at boiling temperature. They have very similar effect on the ingredient, asparagus this time.
- I find that when it comes to nutrients and healthy food, you can find information supporting basically any claims. It’s not necessarily true what you read online on whether some ingredient or prep method is healthy or not.
How To Use Cooked Asparagus
Cooked asparagus is a basic ingredient for many recipes, such as asparagus salad.
It is also perfect as a side dish or even as a stand-alone dish or appetizer with Hollandaise sauce, the classic accompaniment to asparagus.
If you want to try another version, pan fry the cooked asparagus on some olive oil and butter. Recipe coming soon.
Cooked Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 lbs asparagus 450-500 g
- 2 quarts water 2 liters
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Before cooking the asparagus, first clean them. Hold one in your two hands and bend it until it breaks. Discard the tough end. Peel the asparagus with a vegetable peeler, except for the head.
- Bring the water to a boil. Add salt and lemon juice. This is actually the secret of preparing boiled asparagus. The added lemon juice won’t influence the taste however it will keep the cooked asparagus nice and green.
- When the water is boiling, lower the heat and add the asparagus. Cook for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, strain the vegetables. The cooked asparagus is ready to be served!
