How to properly cook asparagus

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Biteless, woody ends, loose asparagus spears with no flavor – lots of things can go wrong when preparing asparagus. With the right approach, it is not difficult at all to prepare delicious white or green delicacies in a way that everyone will need a second helping of. We will tell you how it works here.

To clean the asparagus, simply hold it under cold running water. Then you have to peel the asparagus. This can be done quickly and easily with a vegetable peeler. Place a hand’s width on the white asparagus, just below the asparagus tip and over the green, and pull all the way down. White asparagus must be peeled, otherwise it will taste bitter. With green asparagus, you can skip the peeling if you prefer.

At the top, it is enough to pull the peeler over the asparagus once. You may have to peel the underside two or three times, the crust here is thicker. Woody ends should be cut immediately.

A pot of boiling water and salted water is enough to cook asparagus. Sugar and fat are also beneficial. The following amounts are used for 1 kilogram of asparagus:

• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

If you have less asparagus, you can use this rule of thumb to reduce the quantities accordingly.

First, boil the water in the pot. Then put in the asparagus spears and reduce the heat because it shouldn’t boil – this will damage the delicate asparagus tips. A white asparagus needs about 10 minutes, while a green asparagus needs 8 minutes. If the sticks are thicker than usual, leave them in the water for about one more minute.

Fly: Take an asparagus from the water bowl and try a piece of the bottom. If it’s still too firm, you can return the asparagus to the pot for another minute.

Sometimes asparagus tastes bitter. This is not an indicator of spoiled food, but a natural protective mechanism against voracious pests. Asparagus protects itself from enemies with the bitter substances found in its peel.

By properly peeling asparagus spears, you can eliminate the bitter taste in your mouth because there are no longer bitter substances under the peel. This is why white asparagus needs to be peeled.

• Boil the asparagus in very hot water: this will soften them. Turn down the heat as soon as the asparagus spears hit the water bowl!
• Peel the asparagus very sparingly: This leaves skins on the asparagus that contain bitter substances. Green asparagus, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily need to be peeled.
• Don’t cut the asparagus neatly: The woody ends are good for asparagus soup, but not for pure enjoyment. Cut them fine.
• Leave out the sugar – otherwise the asparagus may taste bitter.
• Forget the lemon juice: If you’re preparing white asparagus, add a pinch of lemon juice to the asparagus juice. This brings out the beautiful white color more clearly.

Source : Blick