Fresh vegetables are even easier to find now due to farmers’ markets, CSA farms, and the grocery store shift to buying local produce. Home kitchens do not need to be filled with high-priced cookware and gimmicky gadgets, but some recipes are only as good as the equipment with which they are prepared. To get the most out of produce like asparagus, purchase a double boiler-like steamer set with a top section that has holes in the base and fits snugly into the bottom. The distance between the boiling water and the bottom of the insert allows the pot to work up a good head of steam to send on up to the vegetables.