There is no reason to ever bother using a steamer basket when making steamed asparagus. Don’t get me wrong—a steamer basket does a very important job. It holds the veggies out of the simmering water to keep everything from getting soggy.

But asparagus has a built-in steamer basket, which we’re going to take advantage of: Those woody, dead ends you were just going to toss in the compost bin? They’re just the thing we need to keep our asparagus out of hot water. Then after they’ve done their job, we’ll toss the ends out and enjoy our perfectly-steamed spears.

So if you do have a steamer basket, then yay—fewer dishes!
And if you don’t have a steamer basket, then yay—perfectly steamed asparagus! (with no shopping for kitchen gear)

Jump to the recipe if you’re ready to hit the ground running (it features both stovetop and microwave instructions).

How (and why) this steamed asparagus method works:

How it works

When preparing asparagus, recipes suggest snapping or cutting off the ends. Normally we’d throw those woody bits away. But here, we’re going to turn them into a steamer basket. Here’s how:

After prepping the ends, we place them in the bottom of a pot that’s big enough to spread them into an even layer with a few small gaps. Fill with a little bit of water, just to come almost to the tops of the asparagus ends. Bring to a boil, and we’re ready to steam our asparagus right on top!

Why it works

Asparagus gets soggy easily, especially the tip of the spear. Steaming is ideal—boiling is not. By putting the woody bits in a little bit of simmering water, and then placing the asparagus on top of that, we keep everything lifted out of the boiling water.

Where it comes from

This method is inspired by Alton Brown’s broccoli steaming method, which I adapted in my steamed broccoli recipe. It works exactly the same, except that you can actually enjoy the stem bits after steaming. Here, we will be tossing out the nearly-inedible woody ends of our asparagus.

To snap or not to snap?

Cook’s Illustrated has the final word: snapping is wasteful. You can do it, but you’re going to be throwing away a lot of perfectly good asparagus in the process.

Instead, they recommend cutting a bit off, seeing if the inside looks good, and cutting some more if it doesn’t. And I agree! Just make sure you hold onto those ends for this recipe. We’re not going to be eating them, but we’ll be putting them to good use.

Steamed Asparagus (without a steamer basket)

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*See note below recipe for microwave instructions (this recipe is made on the stovetop).

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus
Salt
Butter (optional)

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Instructions

Prep the asparagus: Slice the tough, woody ends off each asparagus spear. You will probably need to slice off about 1 inch (2.5 cm). If the ends are 1/2 inch [13 mm] wide or more, slice them lengthwise. Do not throw the ends away.
Evenly distribute the woody ends in the bottom of a skillet. The skillet you choose must be narrow enough that the ends cover the bottom with gaps that are too narrow for asparagus to fall through, but wide enough to fit your asparagus spears.
Pour water into the pan until the woody ends are covered about halfway (about 1/3 cup). Do not add the asparagus spears yet. Bring to a simmer over high heat.**
Once simmering, add the asparagus spears, cover, and reduce heat to medium or medium-high. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, just until the asparagus is bright green and tender (thinner spears steam more quickly, while wider spears take on-the-long-side).
Lift the asparagus spears out and discard the woody ends. Sprinkle the spears with salt, top with dabs of butter (if using), and enjoy.

Notes

*If you want to use the microwave instead:

Prep your asparagus as described in the recipe above (step 1). Place the woody end pieces in a microwave-safe heat-proof bowl. Pour enough water into the bowl to come up the sides of the woody bits halfway (about 1/4 cup).

Place the asparagus spears on top. Cover with a heat-proof plate. Microwave for about 4 minutes (this will vary by microwave), until the asparagus is bright green and tender.

Sprinkle with salt, top with dabs of butter (if using), and enjoy.

** Don’t just let it simmer away or the water will evaporate. Add more water if you let it simmer too long before covering.

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