Asparagus Questions...

I've never put mine in water. That doesn't mean it's wrong as much as me probably just not knowing. I just use it within a few days from buying, as I do with most produce. It's never been an issue for me though, not putting it in water.
Most often, I put it in the steamer and cook it until it's soft enough to eat, but firm and even a little crispy, and then season with just a little salt afterwards.
We really like it grilled or broiled though, with sea salt, black pepper, and just a little oil when we're eating steaks.
One of my favorite ways to eat asparagus is in chicken. I'll hammer a few breasts until flat (chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper), then I'll put in 2 or 3 asparagus spears, some thin sliced mushrooms, a little bit of rotels, some shredded mozzarella cheese, and some chopped up marinated artichoke...roll or fold the chicken closed with a couple toothpicks to help keep it closed, rub some egg around the chicken, and then dredge in Italian bread crumbs. Brown on all sides, then bake until cooked through.
You can also include them in omelets (with mushrooms,onion,tomatoes, a little parmesan or whatever)... or roasted in the oven with some parmesan, or in a pasta.

I don't bother storing it in water. If you do, put it in a vase or glass with an inch or two of water in the fridge, like you would put flowers.

To cook, I add a small amount of water (like 1/2 inch or less) to the bottom a skillet and heat that to steaming, then toss in the trimmed asparagus (snap off the woody piece at the bottom). Roll them around in the pan a bit and let them cook until they are bright green, about 3 minutes. Then drain the water and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on salt or pepper, maybe squeeze on a little lemon juice. Then toss them to coat everything and serve. My family loves them this way - they're still crisp and so yummy, and the whole thing takes less than 5 minutes.

You can boil it in water. (My family likes it soft. Not al dente. Alas, I like it firmer).
Steam it.
Roast it in the oven.
Cook it with a sauce.
Eat it plain.
Or, after cooking it, drizzle salad dressing over it.

I just stick my asparagus in the fridge and cook it and eat it within 2 days. It stays just fine. Just like how they keep it in the store where I buy it from.

Put in a skillet in a single layer.
Boil some water. Pour boiling water & sea salt over the asparagus.
Cover & steam for about 10 minutes....drain, serve.

I snap the ends off (just hold the bottom and bend, and the woody bottom part snaps cleanly off, place in shallow casserole dish, drizzle/coat by shaking dish with olive oil. Season liberally with sea salt (coarse) and pepper, and broil until end are crispy and there's a hint of char but they're still flourescent green. If you're grilling, straight on the grill works as well.

Another fun way is after snapping off the ends... cut into 2" long sections and sautee with mushrooms, onions, and lemon.

There's also the culinary excuse known as bacon. Bacon wrapped aspargus on the grill (c'mon, bacon wrapped anything is lovely).

The first method is my favorite, though.

Snap off the stalky ends. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 300 - 350 degree oven (depending on how your oven is calibrated) for 15 - 20 minutes or until they're as firm or as soft as you like. Then sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese and lemon rind (optional) over the top and serve warm. We eat asparagus at least once a week, and this is only one of the many ways we like it.

Another easy one is asparagus soup. Boil the asparagus with an onion and a few mushrooms (for added healthy benefits) in chicken or veggie stock for 15 - 20 minutes, add whatever seasonings you like, then puree the entire batch to make it thick and creamy. If you want it even more creamy, add a splash of half and half or whole cream at the end. Salt and pepper to taste.

And the easiest way of all: pan roast the cleaned and trimmed asparagus in a dry pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss them around a bit until parts are a bit charred and they're as firm or soft as you like (sample them as you cook).

Enjoy!

Likes like you've gotten some good feedback on how to store asparagus. I also store it in water in the fridge. Here are some recipes we love that you might try:

http://www.food52.com/recipes/4023_absurdly_addictive_asp...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Asparagus-Ri...

http://www.marthastewart.com/316791/creamy-fettuccine-wit...

It's so good and so good for you. Enjoy!
Hilary

I never put mine in water til I use it. I just put it in a ziplock bag and stick it in the frig.

When it's time to cook it, snap the bottoms off, the thick stalks. Just hold the asparagi (one of them) in both hands, and snap. It will break where it oughta break. Then put the part with the top in either some water, or in a steamer. (A steamer is much better!) Cook them til they are "al dente" and take them out. A little butter and lemon juice is really nice, but you can eat them without anything. Just don't cook them til they are mushy, because that kind of ruins them (IMO.)

They taste nutty and delicious like this!

PS - you can use the bottom of the stalks to make a lovely soup.

Bon appetit!
Dawn

I place about an inch of water in a glass in the fridge. I bring to a boil 4 cups os water and the juice of a lemon and put a legged colander and place tge asparagus in ti steam for about 10 minutes. I make a hollandaise sauce(food network site recipe) drizzled over steamed asparagus. Enjoy.

We have 2 ways we love it.

1. Roasted I oven with a few breadcrumbs, garlic and butter
2. Steamed until very firm to the bite, then marinated in Italian dressing until ready to eat. Served cold

I do mine just like JB said.
You dont want to overcook it or it gets weirdly tough and mushy at the same time.
I do roast it in the oven on occasion, but doing the quick, short boil is the best way.

Asparagus is very versatile, it cooks quickly.. use it before it dries out, the stem end becomes woody and must be broken off. Breaking asparagus with a sharp snap assures the fresher part, if it just bends, or hard to break, the drier part needs to be discarded.
Steam til tender crisp, add butter, salt and pepper.
Can be grilled, baked, or broiled, season to taste.
Use in stir fry just like any other vegetable.
Raw in salads or use with a dip as one would use celery or carrots.
Cook in small amt of water, in pan or microwave, can be in bite size or spears. Top with Hollandaise sauce or favorite cheese sauce.
Enjoy!

When I purchase asparagus I usually eat it within one/two days. Someone told me to wet a paper towel, squeeze the water out and wrap the bottom until you use it. Don't know if it's true, but I do it.
My recipe is quick and easy and it's the last thing I'll make when serving it.
1 Tbs. butter, 1 Tbs olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt/pepper & 1/2 Tbs. garlic (fresh or minced). I rinse off the asparagus and trim the ends. Melt the butter, olive oil and salt/pepper and garlic. Then, add the asparagus turning every few minutes until done. You can always add more of the ingredients to taste.
When you take the asparagus out make sure you drizzle what's left in the pan. Yum!
I'm sure you'll get some great recipes, looking forward to reading them.

I break off the bottom part that's tough by holding a stalk about in the middle and bending it until the end breaks off. I then put them in a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper, crush a couple of cloves of garlic & sprinkle on the top. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, add a couple of thin slices of real butter for additional taste (if you wish) & cook in the microwave until hot through but still rather crunchy. YUMMY!!! I LOVE asparagus & HATED it when I was young!!

I just put mine in the crisper with the rest of the veggies and have never had a problem.

My favorite way to cook it is to sautee it with some olive oil and garlic until it's the firmess you like - don't forget to cut off the bottom 2-3 inches of the stem. I then toast some sliced almonds and toss that in right before it comes out of the pan. Yummmy!

I never stored asparagus in water. I've eaten it boiled (not overdone, just lightly) or roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, or sauteed in a pan, or grilled on the bbq. I have also eaten it cut small with pasta. Just cook your favorite pasta, add salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, a little olive oil and chopped up asparagus and any other veggies you feel like throwing in. Yum!

When I buy fresh asparagus that I'm going to use more than two hours after I get home, I cut a half inch off the bottom and place the bottom end in about an inch of fresh water. Cutting the bottoms off allows a fresh end to contact the water and absorb it. Just like you cut the bottom of the stems off flowers when you bring them home so they will last longer.

When you get ready to cook asparagus, use a paring knife to cut the bottom off the asparagus. You start at the very bottom (stem end) and press the knife into the stem. It will go into the stem with difficulty at the very end. When it goes in easily, that's where the stalk is still tender. Cut the bottom off and discard. Cook the top part.

I cook asparagus two ways. I put the whole stalks in a pot and boil them until tender and fully cooked. After the stalks have boiled, push a fork into a stem. When it enters easily, they are done. Place on a plate and serve immediately. I usually add butter.

The other way is to place in a warm skillet with olive oil (EVOO) in the bottom and fry. I like to add freshly crushed garlic and a light sprinkle of Canadian Steak seasoning. If I'm cooking steak or chicken or hamburgers, I will often place the asparagus in the skillet with the juices of the steaks or chicken or hamburgers for additional flavor.

I really enjoy asparagus.

Good luck to you and yours.

I've near heard of putting it in water...........hum. Fresh asparagus will spoil fast so use it within a week of buying it our if the heads look like they are getting slimy. Before you cook them, you need to sanp them. Just hold the stalk in some fingers of both hands long ways and gently bend it till it snaps. The bottom end can go in the trash, if the rest is still long (more than 2-3 inches) then snap it again and both ends get cooked. You can steam or boil them till they are soft but still have a crunch or till they are totally soft. It is more of a personal preference. If you boil, make sure you drain the water out or they will keep cooking after you turn off the heat. I don't season mine at all except for butter and salt after they are cooked and my husband uses pepper too.

My grandparents grew their own so I got spoiled on fresh, canned is nasty and frozen is ok!

S.

keeping in water in the fridge will keep it longest but I usually dont do the water cuz Im lazy. But to cook it we usually do 2 ways. steam it for a few minutes so it is still tender crisp and toss in lemon juice with a little melted butter. Or brush with olive oil and grill. squeeze lemon juice on top after cooking. super yummy. I did have it at Disneyland that was skewered and wrapped with bacon and grilled. that was great too but I haven't made it myself yet. enjoy!

I usually store asparagus in the fridge with other vegetables. If the tips start to get dried out, then it's been in there too long. I usually microwave it with other fresh veggies like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans.

Boiling in water makes it mushy. I like to eat mine crisp. Put some seasonings on it a little oil. Coat them really well. Put them on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. You can test them to see if they are to your liking. If not, cook them 5 minutes more at the time until they reach the way you like them.

Asparagus is sooo good grilled...coat it in olive oil & sea salt, let it sit for awhile, then grill for a few minutes. We never have leftovers!

Just use it in the next few days and it'll be fine.
Try eating a stalk of it raw - it's sweet and crunchy and can be used with dips.
The thick woody end depends on a lot of things but it's not always 2-3 inches long and you should test it otherwise you're just wasting a lot of good asparagus.
Cut off an inch of the bottom and chew a piece.
If it's stringy/woody, discard. Repeat until you've found the good point.
I've had bunches that had no toughness on the ends and others that had quite a bit.
It depends on the variety and age of the stalk (the bigger/thicker the diameter of the stalk, the tougher it usually is - seek out the skinny stalks).

I cut my asparagus into inch size pieces and steam it.
From there you can scramble it in eggs.
For tonight I think I'm going to put some with mushrooms over pasta with sauteed chicken breast pieces and pour a little Alfredo sauce over it.
It's also good sauteed with garlic and butter.
Asparagus is very versatile.