Cardamom and Tea

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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This minimalist version of sautéed kale has a ton of flavor despite its few ingredients and simple technique. Here’s why I make it all the time:

It takes 6 minutes from stove to table.
It features very basic ingredients:
- olive oil
- garlic (or sub powder)
- kale
- lemon juice (or sub vinegar)
- salt and pepper
- and (100% optional!) parm or pecorino
There are 0 extra steps (no cooking in batches, no covering with a lid or simmering in stock).
There’s no guesswork about how hot your pan should get. You just start the garlic in a cold pan, and once it turns lightly golden, you know you’re ready to add the kale.

Jump to the recipe if you’re ready to hit the ground running, or read on for a bit more info.

What makes this sautéed kale recipe work

The cold pan technique (= no burnt garlic)

Garlic goes from raw to burnt very quickly, especially in an overheated pan. By starting the oil and garlic in a cold pan, you accomplish two things:

Your garlic does not burn, since you start it slowly (yay!)
You know exactly when the pan is hot enough to add your kale. Once the garlic starts to turn lightly golden brown, it is time.

Speed!

2+2+2=6 minutes

You put the garlic and oil in a cold pan over medium-high heat. You wait for it to start sizzling (2 minutes). You let it sizzle (2 minutes). You add the kale and toss it around until it wilts (2 minutes). Bam—6 minutes later, you have perfectly-sautéed kale with perfectly golden-brown garlic.

Basic ingredients + substitutions

If you don’t have fresh lemons, you can use the smaller amount of vinegar. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use dried. If you don’t have dinosaur kale, you can use curly. And if you’re not a fan of cheese, you do not have to add the pecorino or parmesan (it’s great without them).

This recipe works with whatever you’ve got!

No extra steps

The steps in this recipe only include what is absolutely necessary.

Could you work in batches? Sure, if you don’t mind taking the extra time. Could you fry the garlic separately? I mean… you do you! Could you blanch the greens first, and then shock them in some ice water before sautéing them? Well, I guessss so.

But with this technique you don’t have to do any of that. It turns out delicious with 0 fuss every time.

If you’re more in the mood for baking instead of sautéeing, I also really love this roasted kale recipe. It’s got a crisp-chewy texture and it might just be even easier than this one.

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. I reach for this one for both weeknight dinners as well as for guests. Save your prep time for the extra-special main course and keep it simple with the sides. Or pair this with boxed mac and cheese and chicken tenders. Either way, it’s a winner!