Love it or loathe it, asparagus is a nutritional powerhouse often gracing our dinner tables – especially in spring when the harvest season begins in the UK.

Whether you buy the green spears from a local supermarket or hunt them down at a food market, there are so many ways to enjoy them.

That said, YouTube sensation and culinary scientist Jessica Gavin has claimed that many people cook it incorrectly.

Even the most well-practice home cooks might be stunned to discover they’ve been preparing it incorrectly all this time.

Conventional cooking methods suggest boiling, grilling or steaming the spears until soft, however, there’s an extra step that’s often missed.

Savvy food scientist Jessica explained that ice-cold water is the key to perfectly soft – but not mushy – asparagus.

In a popular YouTube video, she explained: “To prevent soggy and mushy asparagus, let me show you how to tell when they’re done cooking.”

After one minute of steaming the spears, Jessica noted that they were “too crisp” when she tried to break them in half.

But after three minutes they were “bright green and cooked throughout”, with a “tender” texture that made them easy to snap in half without being overly soft, or too crunchy.

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While three minutes is the optimum cooking time for steamed asparagus, one issue many people run into is the vegetable being ready before other meal ingredients.

When this is the case, Jessica recommended using a bowl of ice-cold water.

She said: “Don’t cook asparagus for too long. If you’re not eating the asparagus right away, shock it in some ice cold water. This is going to stop the cooking process and prevent it from getting mushy.”

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Doing so will stop the cell structure from collapsing and keep the spears nice and firm.

To heat the asparagus when it is ready to be eaten, simply pan-fry it over high heat for around 30 seconds.

Many fans of Jessica’s YouTube channel praised her cooking tip, with one claiming that it was “excellent”.

Another wrote: “I’m an over-cooker… thanks for the tip!”