Asparagus
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Lightly scrape the stems of the asparagus and place them in cold water.
Tie the asparagus in small bunches and cut the ends to equal length.
Boil
Bring plenty of water to a boil, adding ½ tablespoon of coarse sea salt for each quart.
Once boiling, add the asparagus and skim the water.
Boil uncovered for about 15-20 minutes, checking for doneness after 15 minutes without breaking the heads.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Asparagus
- The main vegetable; its fibrous stems soften as they cook in boiling water.
The step that matters
Checking doneness after 15 minutes. Asparagus cooks quickly, and stems that boil too long turn soft and lose their bright color and texture. Testing early, without breaking the heads, helps the spears stay tender but firm.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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