Prepping Asparagus
Whether pencil-thin or thick enough to stand on end, asparagus spears need some prep before they can be cooked and added to dishes. Read on to learn our preferred method.
For years we’ve been snapping asparagus believing that the spear will break at the natural point where woody meets tender. However, putting that to the test told us a different story. Trimming 1 inch off the base of each spear and then peeling the lower half of each stalk to remove its woody exterior turns out to be our preferred method. These spears certainly looked prettier than those we trimmed using our old method—snapping each stalk at its natural breaking point—but we realized there’s another reason to trim and peel the spears: there’s less waste. Spears that were snapped lost an average of half their weight, while trimming and peeling resulted in a loss of less than 30 percent. The thicker the spear, the more pronounced the difference when snapped. (Very thin spears tend to be more tender and don't require peeling.)
THE BOTTOM LINE: You’ll throw away more asparagus if you snap off the ends, and the spears won't look as long and elegant. For many reasons, we think trimming and peeling is worth the effort.
The Old Way
A Better Way
