Regularly 89 Euro, now 49 (45% off)
This is a disk-base pan with basket. I own one and like it not only for asparagus, but also for small batch deep frying and boiling pasta.
I have a larger version for pasta, or anything else that boils but needs draining–the inner perforated basket means you don’t have to lift the water when the contents are done. (We gave one to a mobility-challenged fried, and she loved it.)
That said, we really never use ours. For one thing, it’s too big when you’re cooking for two.
It’s awkward to use for a pound of asparagus. I prefer to steam mine.
I also steam my asparagus. My sister-in-law gave me an electric vegetable steamer years ago. I use it for asparagus (it’s the right shape), other fresh vegetables if both microwaves are busy (think Passover), and brown rice, which comes out perfect with no fuss.
1 Like
Just so everyone knows, this is used as a steamer for asparagus, and even if you steam 1-2 stalks, this basket keeps them upright. Is that too big?
Also, it may not be apparent from the link, but the basket has a handy hook attached, so your contents can be hung to drain, rather than requiring the cook to stand there the whole time or splash on the way to the sink.
My only ding against this pot is that it’s actually so small in diameter that it can be tippy on some gas grates.
Ah this is a convincing point!
1 Like
It says so in your OP. I cannot speak for the other member participating in this thread, but I am familiar with the pot & have found it to be a one trick pony, and not one I find particular useful 
You’ve confused me. What’s this pony’s one trick, if it’s not steaming asparagus?
I think the tall, narrow design is borderline genius, because depending on water level, the asparagus tips get less heat, and therefore keep some tooth, while the woodier parts soften.
I have an asparagus pot (albeit All Clad). I use it mostly for small batch canning. The internal wire basket does a good job of keeping the water circulating around the jar(s).
I can steam asparagus in a regular steamer. I also prefer white asparagus over green asparagus, where the woody parts are peeled before steaming.
OK, does your “regular” asparagus steamer stand the stalks vertically?
IME, whether green or white, long or short(ish), asparagus stalks are always woodier at the base, and so can benefit from more time at heat than the tips, that’s all. I’m not rich enough to discard everything but the tips.
Sometimes, if I’m rushed, I’ll “steam” asparagus horizontally in a covered Pyrex loaf pan with a bit of water or stock in the MWO (2:34 in a 1000W appliance). But that doesn’t give the differential heat that steaming vertically delivers, IMO.
It does not. I have done both vertically and horizontally, and I usually steam asparagus briefly enough as to not overcook the delicate white heads. Heck, I often simmer the spears along with the outer peels, too, so I can make soup from it later. I’ve been doing so for 30 years.
1 Like
I have this pot. It works great for pasta. I don’t really use it for steaming though, nor deep frying as it’s a little tricky to get a thermometer in there with the basket.
2 Likes
I roast asparagus or cook it “a la plancha.”
I like it these ways, too.
I take it you do not blanch beforehand?
Nope, I don’t blanch. I am careful to break off as much of the woody stem as seems necessary; I save them for stock (a mostly asparagus vegetable stock is wonderful to use for risotto). Because supermarket asparagus is usually bunched with stalks of different widths, I am careful to take out the thinner ones when they are done and let the thicker go longer.
I really love asparagus cooked roasted/a la plancha. Here in Boston we have local asparagus for only a few weeks in the spring. It’s very expensive and so worth it! We sometimes eat just picked local asparagus raw.
1 Like
To me it is very similar to another one trick pony, the pomme vapeur, in which I steam potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, and even dumplings.
IMO, the biggest problem with this pot is that I got nowhere to store it. I suppose it’d probably fit in my pressure canner, but that’s where I stash a lot of my miscellaneous canning supplies.
1 Like
What I do is use it as a countertop utensil holder until needed.
I couldn’t do that. First, it takes up too much counter space, and I don’t have much to begin with. Second, what would I do with all the utensils that live in it when I want to use it? Lastly (and sadly), we have really cut back on the amount of asparagus we eat on account of the local supply disappearing. I can’t bring myself to buy something that was grown hundreds of miles away when it literally used to be grown down the street and around the corner.
1 Like
