Tip Asparagus is cooked with a little water

Consumer Center: Cook asparagus with only a little water

03/05/2012

The asparagus season has begun, now Germany's gourmets get their money back. So that all vitamins and minerals are preserved, the asparagus should only be boiled with a little water. That advises the consumer center in North Rhine-Westphalia.
White asparagus is traditionally made with ham, potatoes and butter. In creative cuisine, green asparagus is one of the most popular types of vegetables. The first asparagus tips show up at a floor temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. Because asparagus contains a lot of water, it is easily digestible and contains only a few calories. In addition, the bar vegetables contain a lot of vitamin A, B, C and E as well as the minerals magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and calcium.

Cook asparagus with a little water
It is best to cook asparagus with just a little water in a saucepan with the lid closed. According to the experts of the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia should use as oval, flat pots, in which the asparagus is barely covered with water. Good as well as special assparagus pots promise. In which stand the rods in an upright position. Again, a small amount of liquid is sufficient to steam the exquisite vegetables.

The cooking time of white asparagus is between 15 and 25 minutes, depending on the thickness. Green asparagus is usually a bit thinner and therefore only needs to be cooked for 10 to 15 minutes. White barbecued vegetables should be peeled just below the top. It is important to cut off the woody ends. For green asparagus, it is sufficient if only the lower third is peeled.

Test if the asparagus is still fresh
Asparagus only tastes fresh. There should be no more than 24 hours between snacking and preparing. Consumers can check the freshness at the cut surface. This should be moist, smooth and smell like asparagus. If the ends are discolored, hollow or sunken, this could be an indication that the vegetables are not quite fresh. Another trick is rubbing the bars together. When the poles are fresh, a squeaking noise is created. After a slight squeeze, liquid should exit from the interface. The surfaces should not be ridged or indented and the asparagus should all be the same thickness.

Who does not want to consume the asparagus on the same day of purchase, can wrap the barbecued vegetables in a damp kitchen towel. In the refrigerator, the noble vegetables can last up to three days. If you want to keep asparagus for a longer time, you can freeze it unpeeled.

Some people are surprised by the strong smell of urine after eating asparagus. „The asparagus contains the flavoring aspartic acid. In the body this is split by enzymes. This digestive process produces sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for the odor and are excreted with urine“. (Sb)

Read about:
Instead of diet: The foods help with weight loss
Check asparagus at the interface
Asparagus: Season asparagus with lemon
Healthy asparagus: Start of the asparagus season
Asparagus: Low calories and many vitamins

Image: Petra Bork