With the onset of spring, the famous vegetable begins to ripen in Europe, which, according to many experts, is considered a delicacy. Those who are cooking it for the first time should clearly know how much to cook asparagus. The final result of the work will largely depend on this.
Product varieties
Before you figure out how much to cook asparagus, first you need to learn as much as possible about this unusual product. Biologists claim that it has a rather ancient history. Culinary experts call this culture the “queen of vegetables”. You can agree with this statement if you know all the useful properties that it possesses. This is another reason to find out how much to cook asparagus and how to cook this product in general. Such information will help not only emphasize the unique taste, but also try not to destroy its rich vitamin and mineral complexes. To begin with, it should be noted that three types of asparagus are mainly used for food : white, green and purple. Moreover, the first two of them are considered the most popular.
But between them there is a rather significant difference. White vegetable tastes more tender and contains more calories. But in it there are relatively few vitamins and other useful substances. Green representatives have the opposite. This mainly affects how much you cook asparagus. Thick white stems have a delicate nutty flavor, which gives the finished dishes a special flavor. Most often, they are simply boiled in boiling water or steamed for 10-15 minutes. As a rule, this time is enough for the product to be easily pricked with a fork.
Processing Frozen Raw Materials
Asparagus is widely used in cooking. Soups, stews, various salads are prepared from it, and they are also simply used as a nutritious and tasty side dish.
If in spring there is an opportunity to use a fresh product, then in the fall or winter it is necessary to preserve it. One of the most popular harvesting options is freezing. There are two ways to do this. In the first case, the product is pre-cleaned and welded. And in the second - it is simply laid in the camera for quick freezing. The choice of the right option depends on how in the future it is planned to use such a vegetable. In the second case, you need to understand in advance how and how much to cook frozen asparagus. In principle, the process itself is no different from processing a fresh product. For work, you will need a special pan or an ordinary container with a special device. The main thing is to remember that a chilled vegetable should never be thawed. This will spoil not only the appearance, but also the internal structure of the product. Usually, frozen stems are simply dipped in already boiling water for 15 minutes.
Green shoots
For almost all types of asparagus, there is one and the same processing method. Those who believe that some varieties need to be boiled, and others only to fry or preserve, are mistaken. Any grade can be processed in boiling water. The main thing is to understand, for example, how much to cook asparagus green. Unlike white culture, it takes much less time. For fresh young stems, three to eight minutes will be sufficient. During this time, the inner part of the plant softens, while retaining all the valuable components.
This is done as follows:
- Using a peeler, remove the thin top layer from each shoot, starting from the middle and moving down.
- Wash them under running water, and then gently knit into a bundle.
- Cut the bottom pieces of 2 centimeters.
- Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
- Add a little salt, sugar and vegetable oil.
- A bunch of asparagus dip in hot water vertically.
If it is necessary that the stems retain their color, they should be immediately doused with cold water after cooking.
Cooking secrets
Preliminary preparation of the product does not affect the time of its subsequent heat treatment. Therefore, it is very easy to answer the question of how much to cook frozen asparagus. It will take about 3-6 minutes to work.
The main thing is not to defrost, but immediately lower the stems into boiling water. It is better to have a special pan for this. It is slightly different from the one commonly used for cooking. Such dishes have a slightly elongated shape and are equipped with a net that is designed to keep asparagus shoots strictly upright. This is necessary for uniform boiling of the product. It is known that the lower part is denser and requires a higher temperature for processing. The top tips must be located just above the edge of the dishes for 3-5 centimeters. In this position, they will be steamed. Given the delicate structure of the apex, this action can be considered quite justified.