Selection and Storage

Choose asparagus with firm brittle stalk and compact tip of a bright color without rust spots. Select the same size of asparagus as they will cook evenly. Asparagus is quite fragile. You can keep it in the refrigerator for a maximum of one week as long as your asparagus is wrapped in a wet cloth placed in a perforated plastic bag. Blanched asparagus can be stored for about five months in the freezer.

Preparation

Before you cook asparagus, snap off the bottom stalk to remove the tough and more fibrous part. Wash thoroughly in cold water until there is no more soil or sand.

Asparagus can be cooked in water, steamed or micro-waved. Asparagus is cooked when it is tender but still firm. Avoid cooking it too long for it becomes too soft and loses its flavor, color and nutritional value. To serve asparagus cold, it should be taken out of the cooking pan and dipped in cold water immediately, but should not be soaked.
 

Use

Regardless of how it is used, asparagus normally has to be cooked. Lukewarm or hot, asparagus tastes better with butter or hollandaise sauce. When served cold, try it with dressing, mayonnaise or mustard sauce. You can use it mashed in a soup, a velouté sauce or a soufflé. Diced or whole, the asparagus garnishes omelets, poultry, quiches, salads or pasta and can even be stir fried and cooked in Chinese fashion.