How to Cook Asparagus 6 Ways

🧂 Ingredients

• 14 oz asparagus

  fresh is best
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

  or butter, if needed for roasting or sautéing
• water

  if needed for steaming or boiling

Instructions

• 1 Wash the asparagus in a large bowl of water, swishing it around, as the spears
  can hide grit/sand in the crevices. Then pat them dry.
• 2 Trim the stalks. The quickest way to do so is to bend a single stalk near where
  the green is fading into white. The stalk should naturally snap at the correct
  point to remove the woody ends.
  
  Using a sharp knife, then line up the ends of a handful of asparagus spears (at
  a time) and trim them all in the same spot.
  
  If you have really thick spears, their peel can be fairly tough, too. If so,
  place a spear flat on your work surface and use a vegetable peeler to peel about
  halfway up the spear. Repeat with the remaining spears.
• 3 Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan (or use a
  multi-teared steaming pan/steamer), then reduce the heat to a simmer and place a
  steamer basket/insert within the pot, with the asparagus inside it.
• 4 Cover the pot with a lid and steam the asparagus until vibrant and tender-crisp.
  This can take 4-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus stalks.
• 5 Bring a pot of water (enough to submerge the asparagus without overflowing) to a
  boil and add the asparagus.
• 6 Boil for 3-5 minutes (up to 7 for super thick stalks) until tender-crisp.
  
  Then drain, season, and enjoy.
• 7 Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
• 8 Arrange the asparagus on a baking tray with space between, drizzle with olive
  oil, and season with salt & pepper.
• 9 Roast the asparagus until tender-crisp inside with lightly browned, caramelized
  edges, shaking the pan halfway.
  
  – Thin: 8-11 minutes,
  
  – Medium: 12-15 minutes,
  
  – Thick: 16-20 minutes.
  
  Toss the roasted asparagus with butter or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese for even
  more flavor when serving.
• 10 Preheat the broiler to high. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus spear with salt,
  pepper, and olive oil.
• 11 Spread the spears in a single layer across a baking sheet and place it about 6
  inches beneath the heating element.
• 12 Broil until lightly browned and tender (about 8-10 minutes), flipping every few
  minutes to avoid burn.
• 13 Toss the spears with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
• 14 Arrange the asparagus in a single layer with minimal overlapping.
• 15 Air fry at 400ºF/200ºC until tender crisp, and lightly golden brown on the
  edges.
  
  – Thin: 3-5 minutes,
  
  – Medium: 6-9 minutes,
  
  – Thick: 10-15 minutes.
• 16 Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 17 Add the asparagus stalks (whole or chopped into smaller pieces) and sauté for
  5-10 minutes until tender-crisp (the exact time will vary based on their
  thickness).

Nutrition Info