Removing the tough ends of your asparagus spears is essential before cooking with them. Follow the easy steps in this post to learn how to trim asparagus perfectly, every time.
Nothing can ruin a perfectly delicious bite of asparagus like biting into a tough, woody stem. I've even known a few folks in my time who thought they hated asparagus, because the asparagus they'd eaten was untrimmed. Of course it was bad! Those tough ends are just about impossible to chew.
The solution: trim those spears! It's really easy to remove the woody ends from your asparagus, but not always that intuitive as to how to trim your asparagus. Read on to learn the perfect method.
Jump to:
Why Do We Trim Asparagus?
Asparagus stalks or spears grow straight out of the dirt. When you buy them at the store, you're buying pretty much the entire portion of the plant that grows above ground. And like many other plants in our garden, the portion that's closest to the roots tends to get woody and firm.
Think about how trees grow: the trunk is hard, dry, and needs to be cut with a saw, whereas the upper branches and leaves are more flexible.
Eating the bottom portion of an asparagus spear is somewhat analogous to chewing on a tree trunk. Okay, it may not be quite as impossible to chew as a tree trunk, but you get the analogy. Since we don't want to eat these tough tree trunk-like parts of our asparagus, we cut them off.
Bend and Snap Method
Despite what Elle Woods would have you believe, this is not a method for picking up UPS guys. It works much better for pruning asparagus!
The bend and snap is my preferred method for trimming the woody part from an asparagus spear, because it completely takes the guess work out of the process. Also, it has the advantage of requiring literally no equipment, aside from your own two hands.
To execute this method, grab one asparagus spear at a time. Grasp the base (where the tough, fibrous stuff we want to ditch is) in one hand, and grasp it near the middle with your other hand.
Bend the spear until it snaps in two.
Discard the base end, and go on your merry way and cook up the rest of the spear.
This method will always remove all of the tough parts you don't want to eat. So you're guaranteed not to get a mouthful of stringy stuff. The only disadvantage is that you can break off slightly more asparagus than is needed, but it really will only be a tiny bit!
Knife Cutting Method
You can also trim your asparagus in a more conventional way, using a knife.
To do this, first take a look at an asparagus spear. Take note of where the color changes near the base from a relatively uniform green, to paler green, white, or even a shade of purple. Place the spear on a cutting board, and use a knife to cut it at a point that removes all of the pale green or white portion. If you're having trouble figuring out where to cut, use the bend and break method first, one one spear. This will give you a visual idea of what to cut off, which you can then apply to your other asparagus spears.
Tip: You may be surprised at how much of your asparagus spear needs to be removed. It's probably more than you think, and often up to a third of the length of a spear.
This method has the advantage of allowing you to trim a few spears at a time. Line your asparagus up on a cutting board, and use a large chef's knife to cut them all at once.
Asparagus is in season during the early part of spring, which would be March and April in most of the Northern Hemisphere. These days, asparagus can be found year round in many parts of the world though.
Wrap your asparagus in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag, and it will keep in the fridge for about four days. To stretch the shelf life of your asparagus even further, stand the spears upright in a jar containing an inch or two of cold water, then cover them loosely with a plastic bag. When stored this way, the asparagus can last up to about ten days.
Asparagus that is starting to spoil will start to take on a slimy texture, particularly at the tips. You'll also notice the spears softening and becoming rubbery when they're past their prime.
Cooking with Asparagus
Asparagus really is one of the most delicious and versatile vegetables. It's excellent in soups, stews, stir-fries, or even on it's own — grilled, roasted, steamed, or pan-seared. You can even eat asparagus raw.
Here are a few of my favorite asparagus recipes to try:
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Comments
No Comments