What Is The Healthiest Way To Eat Asparagus
Try adding shredded, raw asparagus to pasta dishes and salads. Alternatively, enjoy the spears lightly steamed or sautéed in a frittata, or as a stand-alone side dish. Asparagus is a nutritious choice, regardless of whether its cooked or raw. Try eating a combination of the two for maximum health benefits.
Do You Cover Vegetables When Roasting In The Oven
Generally, you dont cover vegetables when roasting them in the oven. Covering vegetables will steam them instead of browning them. However, covering with foil is a tried-and-true method for roasting garlic.
To make tender baked vegetables, season them and place them on the dull side of an 18×12-in. piece of heavy-duty foil. Then fold the foil around the veggies, sealing tightly. Finally, place the foil packet on a sheet pan and bake at 400°F for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once.
How Do You Keep Roasted Vegetables Warm
Roasted vegetables taste best when you eat them immediately, straight from the oven. But if youre cooking for a crowd and need to keep them warm for a few hours before serving, place them in your oven drawer or keep them warm in a low-temperature ovenaround 200°F.
To reheat roasted vegetables, drizzle them with a little more oil and stick them in a 450°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes until theyre warmed through. You can also broil them for a few minutes.
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How To Cook Asparagus In The Oven At 350f
If youre in love with roasted vegetables, then youre familiar with oven asparagus. These toasty delights are up there with the roasted broccoli and add an exciting hint of uniqueness to your menu. But of course, you may feel more at ease cooking most of your oven foods at a particular set temperature. So, what about if youre considering roasting Asparagus at 350F?
The good thing is asparagus crisps easily when roasted and leaves a tender inside that compliments the crunchy exterior. And at 350F, any vegetable would be cooked to a toasty texture that blends with many other recipes. Plus, the Asparagus stalks also come out faster in this temperature, so you get a win-win.
Two Types Of Breadcrumbs = Oven
To create asparagus fries that not only reach peak crispiness, but also have a coating that sticks, two types of breadcrumbs are required. Panko, the light, ultra-crispy shards that give Japanese fried foods their distinctive crunch lend their abilities to these asparagus fries to create an audibly crisp crunch. Theyre paired with the sturdy, sticky small flakes of traditional breadcrumbs for a base-coating that doesnt budge.
This combination works exceptionally well on these asparagus fries, but dont stop there. Try the mixture as breading on oven-baked chicken, fish, or pork.
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How To Store Asparagus
Pro tip: Place your asparagus in a heavy-bottomed jar or drinking glass when you get home, and add a couple inches of water. You can place a plastic bag over the top to retain maximum freshness.
Then, store the asparagus like this in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for several days longer this way!
How To Season Asparagus
Here are some ideas for flavors that will complement your roasted asparagus. Keep it simple and choose just one or two. Or go all-out like I did, and use all four of the first ideas.
- Lemon zest and/or lemon wedges
- Sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Small handful of fresh mint or parsley, finely chopped
- Light sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- Pat or two of butter
- Light drizzle of balsamic reduction or thick balsamic vinegar
- Toasted sliced almonds
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How To Season Roasted Vegetables
No matter what type of vegetable youre roasting, you need some kind of fat in order to promote browning. Next, add seasoning in order to flavor your vegetables. Some ideas include:
- Spices: You cant go wrong with salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, or a mix of dried spices, like in this garlic-herb pattypan squash recipe.
- Dressing: Try balsamic vinegar or Italian dressing, like with these zesty roasted vegetables.
- Citrus: A squeeze of lemon juice will brighten up your veggies, like with this lemon pepper roasted broccoli.
- Sweeteners: Try maple syrup, brown sugar, honey or another sweetener, like in this agave roasted parsnip recipe.
Toss the vegetables with the oil and seasonings to evenly coat. For an easy roasted vegetable recipe, simply use olive oil, salt and pepper.
The Best Vegetables For Roasting
With the exception of tender lettuces, you can roast pretty much any vegetable. Try any of the ideas listed below, or experiment with whatever vegetables are currently in your refrigerators crisper drawer.
- Root vegetables: Potatoes, onions, garlic, beets, carrots
- Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale
- Summer or winter squash: Zucchini, butternut squash, acorn squash
- Soft and/or thin vegetables: Bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, asparagus
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Can You Eat The Whole Asparagus Spear
You can eat the whole spear except for the woody stem towards the bottom. Hold the asparagus spear on each end firmly. Gently bend the asparagus so that it bows out away from you. Keep bending until the asparagus snaps. It will naturally snap so that the woody stem breaks off. Discard that part and eat the top part with the head on it.
How To Steam Asparagus
For this method, asparagus is held in a basket to cook gently over steaming water. You can use an upright steam basket or a collapsible steam basket with feet that hold it the basket above the water in a pot or large saucepan. Steaming is good for cutting calories, as it requires little or no fat.
This video for Simply Steamed Asparagus shows you how to steam whole asparagus using a collapsible steam basket:
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Why Are My Roasted Vegetables Soggy
There are several reasons why your roasted vegetables may be turning out soggy:
- The oven temperature was too low. In most cases, you want your oven at 400° or 425°F.
- The pan was too crowded. If everything is crammed together on the sheet pan, your vegetables will steam instead of caramelizing. Give your vegetables enough space to breathe, which may mean using two sheet pans.
- There was too much oil. One or two tablespoons of oil is typically enough to coat your veggies.
In addition to these potential missteps, avoid other oven-roasted vegetable mistakes, too.
What Temperature Is Best For Roasting Vegetables
The best temperature for roasting vegetables is around 400° to 425°F. In general, you want to roast vegetables until theyre fork tender and have caramelized edges. Roasting vegetables at a high temperature brings out their natural sweet flavors and promotes caramelization.
However, the exact temperature needed for perfectly roasted veggies depends on the cook time, the type of vegetables youre roasting and the way in which you slice them. The smaller you cut your vegetables, the shorter the cook time.
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How Long To Bake Asparagus At 375 Degrees
Other than what temperature to cook it at the biggest question you will have is how long to bake the vegetable. This can be done various ways, but foremost in my mind is always not to overcook it. It can quickly become mushy with wet cooking techniques, or dried-out if baked, broiled or grilled too long. Cooking times will vary based on the thickness of the asparagus and of course the cooking temperature. We are looking for a tender spears, yet with a slight snap to them when you take a bite. I prefer to bake asparagus at 375 degrees myself.
When making asparagus in the oven at 375 degrees :
- Thin asparagus spears – total cook time 16-20 min
- Thick asparagus spears- total cooking time 20-22 min
Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 Asparagus varies in thickness. For this recipe, thicker spears work better. When shopping for asparagus, choose firm, bright-colored stalks with tight tips. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- tip 2 To prepare asparagus, break off the woody end of the vegetable as far down the stalk as is easy to snap.
- tip 3 The butter mixture will cling to the asparagus better if the asparagus is cold.
- tip 4 Use regular-cut bacon for this recipe. Thick-cut will not cook through by the time the asparagus is done.
- tip 5 Using toothpicks makes it slightly easier to turn the asparagus during roasting, but they arent necessary if you are careful not to pull the bacon away from the bundles at each end.
- tip 6 Choose a large, rectangular flat rack that fits inside of the pan. Using the rack helps the bacon cook evenly, but dont skip the step of spraying it! Thoroughly spraying the rack prevents the bacon from sticking.
- tip 7 Lining the pan with foil makes cleanup a breeze and protects your pan from bacon drippings that might burn and discolor the pan.
- tip 8 When asparagus starts flooding the supermarket, you know its spring! We love loading up on this vegetable while its in season, because its a whole lot more affordable than other times of the year.
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How Long To Cook Asparagus
One of the most frequently asked questions is how long to cook asparagus. The answer depends on the size of your asparagus and your cooking method. Thin spears could take just a couple of minutes, especially if you’re using a high-heat method of cooking, such as grilling, roasting, or pan-frying. Thicker spears will take longer to cook. Here’s how to avoid overcooking your asparagus.
- Allow plenty of extra spears for testing as you cook.
- No matter which cooking method you choose, the residual heat will continue cooking the asparagus. Remove it from the stove/grill/oven when it’s almost done to your taste.
- If you’re blanching and reheating asparagus, remove it from the boiling water when it’s still a bit more crisp than you like. The reheating will finish cooking the spears.
How To Roast Asparagus
It’s very easy to cook asparagus in the oven, and the blast of oven heat caramelizes the natural sugars in the asparagus and deepens the flavor.
Note that roasting could brown the spears, and they won’t appear to be as plump as when they’re steamed or blanched. Yet, the enhanced flavor is worth it.For this method, place the asparagus in a single layer on a shallow pan and cooked in the oven at high heat. This video for Oven-Roasted Asparagus shows you how it’s done.
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Is It Better To Boil Or Steam Asparagus
Asparagus is usually steamed as whole stalks, but it can be steamed cut into bite-size pieces if you like. Whether you steam it whole or chopped, place asparagus in a steamer rack and set over boiling water. Cover and cook until asparagus is tender, 4 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus stalks.
How To Make Super
I dont just like asparagus I love it! Its a bit of an obsession for me. Ill eat it broiled, roasted, steamed, baked, and even raw. To that roster of preparations is the recent addition of oven-baked asparagus fries in all their golden, crispy-brown glory.
With the help of a breadcrumb trick that you can make use of beyond this recipe, I present the crispiest, crunchiest, tastiest asparagus Ive made to date and folks, its all done in the oven.
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Snap Or Cut Woody Bottoms For Best Results
For crispy asparagus, stick to the snap or cut methods to trim the bottoms. To snap, hold the asparagus about three-fourths of the way down on a thin spear and snap it, discarding the bottom. For cutting the bottoms, estimate the point where the asparagus stalk gets hard and cut off the bottom with a sharp knife.
How Long To Roast Asparagus At 425 Degrees
When making roasted asparagus the only difference in roasting is temperature and cooking time. Of course, higher temps cook the spears faster.
- Narrow asparagus will have a cook time as low as 12 minutes, but more likely closer to 14-16 minutes.
- Thick spears will cook in 15-18 minutes at 425 degrees.
The oven time will vary based on your doneness preference, actual thickness of the spears and accuracy of your oven thermostat.
For a different spin on roasted asparagus, try my Balsamic Roasted Asparagus & Tomato with Blue Cheese.
If you love asparagus as much as we do try my Sauteed Asparagus with Mushrooms, Cheesy Baked Asparagus or Alton Brown’s suggestion and zap your salted spears in the microwave wrapped in wet paper towels for 3-4 minutes. Surprisingly this results in nicely cooked spears. I personally rarely steam asparagus, but it is a nice hack when you need a single side dish serving fast. As far as boiling is concerned… just don’t do it. It’s an affront to the vegetable.
Tip: Line the baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
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Is Asparagus Better Thick Or Thin
You might assume that thinner asparagus spears would be more tender and therefore better to eat. According to Cooks Illustrated , thinner isnt necessarily better! Thicker asparagus tend to be more tender because the vegetables fiber is more spread out. Thicker spears hold up to roasting and grilling better than thinner spears.
If you are stir-frying or steaming, choose thinner spears so that they cook faster.
How Do You Roast Vegetables At The Same Time
To roast several different types of vegetables at the same time on one pan, cut similar-density vegetables into uniform pieces so they cook evenly.
Alternatively, dont be afraid to roast heartier vegetables, like potatoes and butternut squash, separately from more delicate veggies, like green beans and asparagus.
A third strategy is to roast your veggies in stages. Start with the vegetables that have the longest cooking time and add faster-cooking vegetables to the pan later in the roasting process.
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How To Cook Asparagus
Roasting and grilling are our favorite ways to cook asparagus because these methods add caramelization and grilled flavor that lets the asparagus shine in all its vegetable glory!
Pan frying is also an option, but its a bit more hands-on and may smoke up the kitchen. And while you can steam or boil it, we dont enjoy the flavor or texture as much .
Since oven roasting is easiest and usually most accessible, let us show you our tips and tricks for perfect oven roasted asparagus!
How To Peel Asparagus
Some people like to peel asparagus before cooking, and some don’t. Asparagus spears range in size from thicker than your thumb to thinner than a pencil, so if your asparagus is on the thicker side, you might want to peel the woody stalks with a vegetable peeler. Some cooks also like to trim off the tiny leaves on the stems. But unless they’re very spiky, you can leave them on.
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Tips & Tricks For Oven Roasted Asparagus
Remove woody ends: We recommend trimming off the woody ends because theyre difficult to chew and result in stringy roasted asparagus.
Cook at a high temperature: A higher temperature is what produces the lovely grilled flavor and al dente texture. We prefer 450 F / 232 C.
Use a high-heat oil: We like to use avocado oil because its high smoke point limits oxidation and makes it a good candidate for higher temperatures.
Avoid overcrowding: Leaving a little room between the asparagus spears will help them to roast rather than steam, resulting in golden brown exteriors.
Season simply: A sprinkle of sea salt adds flavor and black pepper is a zesty option. After roasting, adding lemon juice/zest and vegan parmesan cheese is an elegant and delicious yet simple touch.
How To Make Baked Asparagus
There are 3 steps to baking asparagus.
Its important not to overbake the asparagus. You do not want the asparagus soft and floppy. It should still be slightly crisp after roasting so watch it carefully! The exact timing will depend on the thickness of the asparagus spears.
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How To Prepare Asparagus For Cooking
Before you try any of the methods for cooking asparagus, you’ll want to trim up the asparagus stalks. Trimming asparagus is a “snap.” To remove and discard the tough woody ends of the stalks before cooking, you can just cut them off with a knife. But what’s more fun is to use your hands to snap the stalks in two. They naturally snap at about the point where the woody part begins. Once you’ve snapped your asparagus, you can line them up and give the ends one last neat trim, if you’d like.
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