When I make asparagus, I cut off the ends and boil them in water for about 5 minutes. I discard the ends, and add the other half of the (uncooked) asparagus into the pan with the same water for 8-10 minutes (medium high heat). Afterwards, I place the asparagus on a baking sheet, top with cheese, and put it in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese melts. My question is.. Why do my asparagus come out too chewy/soggy? Am I cooking them for too long? What would you suggest I do differently to get the right texture? Thanks!

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    I don't have an "answer", but that does seem like a very long time to be cooking asparagus. I think you could skip the boiling altogether and just cook them in the oven. – talon8 Feb 18 '15 at 22:52
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    What exactly do you mean by "chewy/soggy?" To me, "chewy" puts me in mind of them being undercooked (hard, woody, etc) and "soggy" suggests overcooked (mushy, overly soft, etc). – djmadscribbler Feb 18 '15 at 23:06
  • @djmadscribbler: Sorry about that.. Soggy as in mushy and too soft. – Sustenance Couture Feb 19 '15 at 23:30
  • @djmadscribbler asparagus, especially white, can be both at the same time if naively boiled. – rackandboneman Feb 14 '16 at 12:15
  • Uhhh, yes, just hit me that the most important detail was omitted from the question: White or green? – rackandboneman Feb 14 '16 at 12:17

I think you are over cooking them. Asparagus is a very delicate shoot, and it goes from nice and crispy to flat and soggy pretty quickly. Some people like it that way, but not me. I like mine hot, but still crisp.

The way I prepare asparagus with water is in a frying pan. Lay the asparagus out in the pan and just cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and immediately pull the asparagus out. It's ready to serve right then.

Sometimes I like to grill it, but that takes a little practice to get the timing just right and also not dropping them through the grill. :-\

  • Thank you! You answered my question perfectly. I like mine hot, but still crisp also. I'm going to try this out on the weekend with our steaks. Thanks again! – Sustenance Couture Feb 19 '15 at 23:29

I would agree that you are overcooking. I quite often make pasta with asparagus and a cheese sauce, and I cut the asparagus up so that the tips are about 1" long, getting shorter towads the opposite ("woody") end, as the smaller chunks decrease the cooking time for the tougher parts.

All I do is add them in with the boiling pasta water for 3-5 minutes, which seems to cook them enough while maintaining a nice crisp texture.

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