I roasted at 400° for 15 minutes.
Asparagus was inedible due to fibers that become evident after chewing.
These stalks were thinner than normal.
I don't know if the asparagus was the problem (not in season?), I roasted too long, roasted too short, or what.
Thin asparagus doesn't roast that we'll especially if it is not quite fresh.
Personally I don't eat asparagus other than local in season with the exception of fat white asparagus from Europe
I find asparagus to be a crap shoot, sometimes at the height of season it turns out weedy, but then yesterday (clearly not local or in season) put some fairly thick stalks with olive oil and kosher salt in a foil pack on the grill (hottest part so prob. was close to 400) for about 10 to 15 minutes and they turned out almost perfect. maybe an insulting question, but you do snap off the dried out and cut end, right?
I did forget to snap off the end. But I think the entire stalk was inedible. I guess I'll only buy thick stalks from now on.
To me it sounds like your asparagus was the problem here- potentially too old , it can be very fiberous and tough, then roasting just makes that worse.
Look for asparagus that has very tight tips, all the little bits at the top still laying flat and good color on the bunch, buying from a market that sells a lot of it is the best idea since its less likely to be old.
With medium to larger stalks trim the toughest bottom part and you can use a peeler on the bottom few inches if the outer part looks tough there (I rarely do this)
I usually snap of ends. Where it easily breaks separates the tough, stringy part from what you'll want to eat. You throw away ($$) at least 1/3 of the product, sometimes half. If you just cut off end, you'll still have that stringy part. You can use a veggie peeler on bottom half... takes a little time, should lay spears on cutting board or it'll end u snapping while you try to peel, you get to eat significantly more of what you paid for.
I gamble with asparagus and avocados instead of lottery tickets.
The best way to cook asparagus is to just put them in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Then they are perfectly edible. I use a 24cm low saute pan and have them lying down. No need for fancy pans.
After draining, you can then add any flavouring you'd like. Put them in the oven to roast for another 5 minutes like you wanted to, or if they are really good quality you could eat them just like that with some melted butter and parmezan cheese.
Green asparagus are quicker to cook, so you could also just put them on a hot grill for five minutes and drizzle with olive oil and lemon (without cooking in water first). And yes, please remove the bottom inches.
When in season here in Northern Europe, asparagus are the king of vegetables. :-)
Well it's a rough guide, it depends on the asparagus and how done you'd like them.
I like them still rare-ish, but the 5 minutes is based on the thickest white asparagus we can find in Northern Europe (1-1.5 inch). Just don't cook them for 10-15 minutes or so as some people tend to do. Five is fine, if they are thin green ones maybe three, and if you'd like your thick white ones overdone cook them for 6-7 minutes. These times are based on the asparagus I can find here.
I don't have access to white asparagus but I do like roasting even the thin green ones here in the US to well done...such as a fork will go through....I like the bit of caramelization....I've never had a problem. I do coat them in a bit of olive oil and toss some salt on, and also roast a few cut up lemon slices around them. The liquid seems to help, but freshness is probably key. Also, you do have to break off the fibrous ends, (bend it at the bottom and don't cook the part that naturally breaks off) and it seems to help to keep them hydrated in water at the bottom before you cook and break off.
It's always seemed to me that white asparagus, at least the kind I see here in SoCal, is consistently thicker than green and is also 'softer' (less fibrous to the touch). Is it just my imagination?
I typically steam rather boil asparagus. Like you, I lay them flat in a skillet, but on top of a collapsible steamer. Generally I cook for about 6 minutes as I try to buy asparagus that is at least of medium thickness -- never the super thin ones.
I don't peel, but I do the "snap off" technique and use the part of the stalk that snaps off for vegetable stock. I've never had a problem with roasting thin asparagus that was "snapped off", but I do love local asparagus the best. It's like a different species...same for local strawberries. We don't get much of either in our short growing season in New England, but they are fantastic.
Past a point, size wise, asparagus should be peeled to remove the fibrous outer layer. There is no cooking technique that I know of that will break down these stringy fibers.
certainly not my experience, with local asparagus for about the three weeks we have it here in Boston area roasted at 450. I did peel recently and it was fine, but not at all significantly better than not peeling, after the snap off technique. Nothing can break down the stalks at the bottom, but that's why I snap off.
15 minutes is pretty long for asparagus. You'll cook all the moisture out so there is nothing left but the fibers. Try 5-8 minutes at 350F or broil for 2-3 minutes or, as noted before, boil briefly (5 minutes or so).
I much prefer the crisp thin green stalks we get in the us vs the soft fat white European style. Maybe its just what you're used to. Thickness will affect cooking time, even 5 minutes boil sounds like a lot. I stir fried some in a spicy Asian sauce, just a couple minutes, turned out great. I have some fatter ones I plan to grill on the BBQ but tonite I'm cutting off the ends to throw in some stock I'm making from the carcass of a Costco chicken. I have been just cutting off the bottoms, using my judgement, checking how the cut end looks. This seems to work. But cooking time is critical, easy to overcook then its soft like in a French restaurant and I just don't like that. Never had it canned.
Think local, buy local, is my motto. Most of the asparagus coming in from Mexico and South American are just plain disappointing. It's a seasonal treat to me.
Follow-up -- I cooked the remaining asparagus. I snapped off the end and roasted for less time (10 minutes). This time it was edible. Not great, but edible. Thanks everyone.
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