Choosing and Preparing Asparagus
with
Rachel Edelman
A remarkably nutritious vegetable, asparagus comes in several varieties and can be cooked many different ways. Learn how to introduce asparagus into your diet and get all of the benefits from this delicious food.
Transcript: Choosing and Preparing Asparagus
Hi, I'm Rachel Edelman for About.com Food.Asparagus is a very nutritious vegetable that goes along with many different kinds of dishes. Today I'm going to show you a few different ways to cook asparagus.
Buying Asparagus
Here is how you will find asparagus at most grocery stores. Look for straight, green, rounded stalks. See that the tips are small, closed and dark green or purple color.Prepping your Asparagus
First wash the spears thoroughly.Next, cut off the bottoms with either a knife, or by snapping them.
Steaming your Asparagus
To steam the spears, boil an inch or two of water and place them in a steamer and cover. Steam for around 3 minutes, and that's it! Take them out of the pan and they're ready to serve.Boiling Asparagus
To boil asparagus, put them in a pot with boiling water and throw in some salt for flavoring. Remove after 3 to 5 minutes. The spears should be crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.Microwaved AsparagusTo microwave your asparagus, put your spears in a microwave safe dish and lightly salt. Cover and microwave for 1 minute. After one minute rotate the spears, and microwave again for 30 to 40 more seconds. Again, you want them to be crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. And there you go!
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