Scotch
Head Chef
Ditto! We eat asparagus twice a week when it's cheap, on special occasions when it's not so cheap. Steaming is the best way to prepare asparagus, IMHO, and I don't see much reason to get more elaborate -- as with a good steak, simple is usually best if it's something you really like.I usually steam mine and serve with melted butter
Be sure to trim off the ends -- you probably want only the top 6 to 8 inches or so as the bottom half can be quite tough. Some people peel the bottom ends to get a little more edible part, but I rarely bother as the tips are the best part.
Treat them like roses -- I cut the bottoms off and immediately stand the stalks in a cup of water for an hour or so before cooking to let them drink a little water, which helps to make them crisp.
Cooking time, how much to cut off, and the question of peeling the bottom part of the stalk will depend on how thick the asparagus is. Thin stalks, about the thickness of a pencil, cook quickly. Really fat ones (about the size of a nickel) can be quite fibrous unless they're young. I generally prefer the medium stalks, about the size of a dime, which I find to have the best combination of flavor and texture.
Be sure to check the tips -- make sure they're not bruised, broken, or rotted. I actually smell them in the store; asparagus tips will rot quickly if they get bruised, and the smell can get really bad. When that happens, they go in the trash, although I suppose you could lop off the tips and eat the stalk.
The trick is to steam the asparagus just until it's easily pierced with a fork, about 5 minutes for medium stalks, 3 for thin ones. Serve hot with a little butter and some salt and pepper.
Although I generally steam asparagus, I also like to grill it, again treating it quite simply: trim the stalks as above, but before cooking, lightly coat them with a little good olive oil and add some salt and pepper, maybe a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook directly over medium heat, turning every few minutes, until grill marks appear and the stalks are easily pierced, about 8 to 10 minutes.