What is the best way to cook asparagus? Should we cook asparagus by boiling it in a pan, grill, or microwave?
Flabby asparagus spears without bite, woody ends, no taste – many things can go wrong when preparing asparagus.
But with the right approach, it’s not difficult to prepare the delicious white or green delicacies so that everyone wants seconds. We’ll tell you how to do it below.
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Avoid Asparagus Cooking Mistakes!
Before you start cooking your asparagus, first read below the most severe mistakes that everybody makes!
Don’t Cook Asparagus In Too Much Hot Water.
Hot water will make it limp! Immediately turn down the heat as soon as the asparagus spears are in the pot of water!
Do Not Peel Asparagus Too Spare.
Meager peeling will leave bitter substances on the asparagus. Peel it without being afraid. We don’t need to peel green asparagus.
Cut Asparagus Properly.
The woody ends are suitable for asparagus soup but not for eating. Cut them off thoroughly!
Avoid Sugar.
Otherwise, asparagus can taste bitter!
Add Lemon Juice.
When preparing white asparagus, a dash of lemon juice belongs in the asparagus water. Lemon juice drops in water bring out the beautiful white color more clearly.
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Cook Asparagus Correctly!
It would help if you always prepared asparagus as fresh as possible; otherwise, it quickly loses its aroma and moisture.
If you dont use it immediately, you can keep asparagus rolled in a damp towel in the fridge until you cook it.
This way, it stays fresh longer.
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Boiling Asparagus: The best way step by step!
Ingredients for four portions:
- 2 kg white asparagus
- 2 tsp salt
- One teaspoon sugar
- One tablespoon butter
Preparation:
- Wash and generously peel the asparagus before cooking. Hold the spear under the head and pull the asparagus or peeler with gentle pressure from top to bottom. Finally, cut off the woody ends.
- Put salt, one teaspoon sugar, and one tablespoon butter in a large pot with enough water. We should cover the sticks entirely with water. Bring the water to a boil. Place the peeled asparagus, bring it to a boil briefly and then reduce the heat. Allow the asparagus to simmer at low heat for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears.
- Lift the cooked asparagus out of the pot, drain and serve. Homemade sauce hollandaise tastes good with it.
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How long must asparagus cook?
After the peeled asparagus has been getting put into boiling water, it takes 12-15 minutes to cook over low heat. As a cooking test, prick the end of an asparagus spear with a kitchen knife. It is ready when the asparagus is soft in the thickest part but still offers some resistance.
Extra Tip:
A few splashes of lemon juice in the cooking water ensure that the asparagus retains its white color when cooked.
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Cooking Asparagus In The Oven
The asparagus is cooked in its juice and thus acquires a wonderfully full flavor. If one compares cooked asparagus with it, the cooked one is almost bland.
Preparation:
- It is best not to use sticks that are too thick. We prefer bars that are 1 – 1.5 cm thick. They are friendly and tender, and you have little waste. First, peel the asparagus thoroughly and cut off the ends. Preheat the oven to 200 °C top/bottom heat or 180 °C circulating air.
- Place two aluminum foil sheets on top of each other and put half a teaspoon of butter on each sheet. Place 8 – 10 stalks of asparagus on top; depending on the thickness of the asparagus, the bundles should not be too large. Sprinkle each bunch with half a teaspoon of sugar and a good pinch of salt, then close the first sheet of foil over it and the sides. Don’t wrap a tight package but fold it over like a bag on top. Then complete the second sheet in the same way.
- Place on the rack in the oven and wait for 40 – 50 minutes. You can test whether the asparagus is cooked by slightly bending the package. The easier it is to do this, the softer the asparagus is.
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Cooking Asparagus In A Pan
Preparation:
- First, you need to peel the asparagus and cut off the ends. Carefully heat a good pinch of butter in a pan, place the asparagus, and season with salt and sugar. Reduce the heat and close the pan with a lid.
- The asparagus should not brown but cook in its juice at low heat. Turn the asparagus after a few minutes. Depending on the depth of the asparagus, the cooking time is about 15-20 minutes. Shortly before the end of the cooking time, when the spears become glassy, drizzle some lemon juice over the asparagus.
- Depending on taste, add butter before serving.
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Cooking Asparagus On The Grill
Preparation:
- Wash and peel the asparagus. Rinse and pluck the herbs. You can use anything you find in the garden, like goutweed, sorrel, daisies, etc.
- Double the aluminum foil twice. Put one layer of herbs and one layer of butter flakes on each season. Arrange half the asparagus on each. Then place the herbs and butter flakes on top again. Close the packages well, put them on the grill, and after about 10 minutes, turn them over carefully once—your asparagus finishes after about 20 minutes.
- You can also use herb butter, but the taste of fresh herbs is much more intense.
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Cooking Asparagus In The Microwave
Preparation:
- Peel the fresh white asparagus, cut off the ends, and wash the asparagus well. Place the wet asparagus on a sufficiently large piece of microwave foil, sprinkle salt and sugar over it, and spread the butter in flakes on top. Now wrap the microwave foil around the ends of the asparagus. Also, cover the long sides around the asparagus so that a leak-proof package is getting formed.
- Place the asparagus packet on a plate in the microwave. Cook at 600 watts for 5 minutes, then add 2 – 4 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears and your preference for the asparagus to be firm to bite.
- Take the asparagus out of the microwave; take it out of the foil. Be careful; it is hot.
- Asparagus cooked in this way retains its full flavor because no aroma releases into the cooking water.
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Conclusion
How To Prevent Bitter Taste On Asparagus? Sometimes asparagus tastes bitter. It is not an indication of spoiled food but a natural protective mechanism against voracious vermin. Asparagus protects itself from enemies with the bitter substances in the peel.
You can eliminate the bitter aftertaste by peeling the asparagus shoots properly because there are no more bitter substances underneath the peel. Thus, we must also peel white asparagus without fail!
You can also check here the best asparagus cookers on Amazon.
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Last Updated on 03/04/2022 by Buzz This Viral
