Sous Vide Asparagus

The phrase ‘sous vide’ is a French term that means ‘under vacuum.’

It’s a method of cooking that was invented in France in the early 1970s.

Cooking sous vide style means sealing your food in a ziploc bag and cooking it in a water bath. It’s then cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time.

This method of cooking allows the food to retain moisture, keeping it succulent and tasty.

Asparagus is a delicious vegetable that’s also very good for you. The problem is, it’s very easy to overcook asparagus. Cooking asparagus in a sous vide means you can keep the flavor in the asparagus and prevent it from overcooking.

Cooking sous vide also means you can set up the sous vide machine and let it do its thing, without having to be in the kitchen overseeing everything. So, the sous vide method is all about quality and simplicity.

The best temperature to cook asparagus sous vide is 85°C (185°F). This will ensure you get the perfect asparagus every time – slightly tender, with that all-important crunch!

First of all, freshly picked asparagus is best! Thick asparagus is generally more mature than pencil thin asparagus, but thickness isn’t an indicator of how fresh the asparagus is.

If you’re lucky enough to have homegrown asparagus, you’ll get the freshest ingredients possible! However, if you’re buying at the store, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Here’s what to look for when choosing asparagus at your grocery store: 

A rich, vibrant green coloring
Straight stalks with a smooth texture
Stalks that are not dry but have have kept their moisture
Tips that have a purple tinge and are tightly closed

It’s not necessary to peel asparagus, only to remove the woody stem from the bottom. If you do wish to peel your asparagus, peel off a layer using a vegetable peeler.

Sous vide asparagus is quicker than many other types of sous vide cooking. Still, the point of cooking asparagus sous vide is to get that incredible taste and texture. So, the slower you cook it, the better.

This recipe calls for you to cook your asparagus for 40 minutes to 1 hour. The exact timing depends on the thickness of your asparagus stalks – thin asparagus needs less time than thick asparagus. 

If you leave your vegetables in a sous vide water bath for too long, they’ll end up too soft and mushy. That’s why it’s important to follow sous vide recipes precisely and keep the cooking time in mind.

When cooking sous vide asparagus, your end goal is to get asparagus that has softened slightly, but has retained that perfect little crunch when you bite into it.

The last thing you want is stringy, overly-soft asparagus, which is how it tends to turn out when you boil it.

Sometimes asparagus can change color during the sous vide cooking process. This is usually due to a reaction with the salt used to season the asparagus. Generally, if you use sea salt, you won’t have a problem.

Remember, as long as you use fresh asparagus, you’ve nothing to worry about.

In order to keep your asparagus perfectly fresh, store it in the fridge.

If stored properly, asparagus should keep for around about a week.

If you want to store sous vide asparagus, you can keep it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. After this time, it will start to lose its bright green color and lovely texture.

Yes! Freezing asparagus is a great way to extend its shelf life. If you’ve bought a big batch of asparagus and you don’t want to use it all in one go, freezing is definitely an option.

When freezing asparagus, you should also blanch it first. This helps to preserve the taste and texture, while also extending its shelf life. Blanching involves parboiling then rapid cooling the asparagus in ice water.