Category: Vegetables

This negative geotropism doesn’t harm the eating quality of asparagus, just its straightness. But the spears also lose much of their sugars, using them to toughen their wounded ends with an increasingly fibrous sheath, which lies just under the green skin and quickly becomes too stringy to chew. Why is my asparagus chewy after cooking? […]

Choose spears with tightly closed tips (if they’re starting to look loose or flowery, this can mean that they’re old and likely to be tough). Fat spears are no more likely to be tough than thin spears. To prepare the asparagus for the grill, snap off the bottom of each stalk, and then lightly coat […]

Asparagus will keep fresh for up to 5 days if you store fresh trimmed asparagus in a jar filled with an inch of cold water loosely covered with plastic. Do I need to wash asparagus before storing in the refrigerator? No, it is best to wash it right before using it in your recipe. Why […]

Place them in a microwaveable container and heat them up for 1 minute 30 seconds. Place the asparagus in a plastic bag so they lay one next to the other and freeze them! How do you blanch in microwave? Pause the microwave, uncover the dish and stir the vegetables. Cover the dish and microwave for […]

A lot of sources will tell you that asparagus has a built-in natural breaking point: Hold a spear up horizontally, and break off the end where you see it start to droop—or, even simpler, bend it yourself in your hands, and it’ll break precisely where you need it to. So you bend, and snap! Are […]

Freeze the Asparagus Transfer the asparagus to freezer bags and label them with the date. Don’t overcrowd the bags — these are delicate vegetables, not items in carry-on luggage. You want to keep the pieces in a single layer so they’ll freeze quickly and last for up to 8 months. What is the best way […]

You can blanch asparagus before you can or pickle it. You can also blanch it before you freeze it to help it last longer. The most common reason to blanch asparagus is to cook it so it’s tender but still has a nice crunchy texture. Can you prep asparagus ahead of time? The most common […]

Sprue Asparagus is the very young asparagus that got thinned out. The arrival of Sprue Asparagus causes excitement each spring to asparagus lovers who want to get a jump on the season. The Sprue stalks are very pliable from top to toe, and a pea-green colour. How do you get the most out of asparagus? […]

On Food and Cooking says they’re bracts, and actually mentions why they might be there: The stalk doesn’t support ordinary leaves; the small projections from the stems are leaf-like bracts that shield immature clusters of feathery photosynthetic branches. What is the tip of asparagus called? Bracts, however, are associated specifically with flowers or flowering branches […]

Cook until it’s perfectly tender and bright green, then plunge it into an ice bath. Here’s a particularly useful method for the home cook: how to blanch asparagus! This method preserves this veggie so it stays bright green and tender: perfect for adding to salads, pasta, pizza, frittatas, and more. Do I need to blanch […]

Male plants produce thicker, larger spears than females. The flowers on male plants are also larger and longer than those on females. Male blooms have 6 stamens and one small useless pistil, while female blooms have 6 small nonfunctional pistils and a well-developed, three-lobed stamen. Are there weeds that look like asparagus? A close relative […]

Limp Stalks When asparagus is going bad the stalks will start to look shriveled up and be very limp like a spaghetti noodle. However, you can still cook and eat them at this point but I recommend doing so in a soup or stew. What do you do with limp asparagus? If the spears are […]

Usually, the topmost part of the stem. The shoot is about 0.5 inches (1.27 centimeters) in length. This part is delectable and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Do you cook the bottom of asparagus? They can also be used as table or countertop decorations. But before you start cooking, you must remove the […]

HOW TO cut asparagus – step by step Put about half the bunch of asparagus – of whatever amount fits comfortably – across a large cutting board. Line up the spears. With a long, sharp knife, cut off the tough woody parts at the bottom, usually one to two inches. Repeat with the remaing asparagus […]

Soak in cold water for about 15 minutes, gently agitating every so often to loosen any sandy soil trapped in tips or “fins”; then lift asparagus from the water, leaving grit behind. How do you get the dirt out of asparagus? Asparagus: Most folks will direct you to follow a similar method with asparagus – […]

To prepare asparagus spears that are thick and have tough skin, first cut off or snap off the tough woody ends. Then a vegetable peeler can also be used to peel the stalks. Do not peel the tips. Younger, thinner asparagus generally are tender enough that they do not require peeling. How do you fix […]

How to reheat. Preheat the oven to 350° F and cook the asparagus for 5 minutes until it is warm. Cooked asparagus is best when only cooked once, the texture will begin to soften upon reheating. Can you reheat cook asparagus? Reheating. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave or you can preheat your oven […]

If spears are thick, peel them lightly with a vegetable peeler. Place asparagus spears in the top half of the steamer pan set. Steam until asparagus is tender, 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. How do I know when asparagus is done cooking? These are the telltale signs that roasted asparagus is done: bright […]

This happens because the spears continuously convert their sugars into a substance (call lignin) that causes woodiness. The longer asparagus is stored, the more sugars they convert. Cooking doesn’t make them less stringy. The best solution is to buy the freshest asparagus you can find and use it right away. Why is my cooked asparagus […]

To store cooked asparagus, place the leftover spears in a shallow airtight container such as a freezer bag or plastic food container. You can also tightly wrap your asparagus in heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Always refrigerate cooked asparagus to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria. How do you keep asparagus crisp in the […]