Follow our step by step tutorial on How to Trim Asparagus and cook it any way you want! It makes the perfect tasty side dish that can go with a variety of dishes!
The Best Ways To Trim Asparagus
Fresh stalks of asparagus are one of our all-time favorite fresh vegetables to eat! Whether we are growing asparagus in our annual garden or picking some up at the local grocery store, it is the perfect veggie that the whole family loves. Plus, once you see just how easy it is to prep, you will be adding trimmed asparagus stalks to all your favorite recipes too! No matter if it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, the options are endless for this bright green veggie!
Have you ever tried fennel!? We have another easy tutorial on How to Cut Fennel that you should also check out and then make our amazing Fennel Salad!
What You Will Need
- green asparagus – a nutritious vegetable that can be found at your local store or farmer’s market.
- cutting board & paring knife – these will be needed for the cutting method, but not the breaking method.
How To Trim Asparagus – Snap Method
The first steps to prepping this delicious vegetable are to pick-up a bunch of firm spears, quick rinse with cold water, & dry with a clean dish towel. Hold one stalk of asparagus as shown with the area where it turns from white to green in color between your hands.
Bend each spear of asparagus until it snaps and breaks into two pieces. Continue this process with each end of the asparagus spear until they are all trimmed and no longer have the fibrous end.
How To Trim Asparagus – Cutting Method
For this second method, rinse the asparagus spears under cold running water and then dry the excess water with a paper towel. Place the bunch of asparagus on a cutting board. Use a good knife to cut off the tough ends of asparagus all at the same time. This can also be done in smaller batches to make it easier. Personally, we find this to be the easiest way and the fastest.
How To Cook Asparagus
Once you have all the asparagus trimmed, there are a variety of different ways to cook the rest of the spear! Depending on the time of the year, we love to make steamed asparagus, grilled asparagus, smoked asparagus, or air fryer asparagus. And if we aren’t enjoying it as a simple side dish recipe, you will find us using them in our favorite asparagus recipes, like prosciutto wrapped asparagus, a prosciutto and asparagus frittata, or cut them into small pieces and add to a teriyaki chicken stir fry or your favorite pasta dishes!
Recipe FAQ
Some stalks of asparagus are thicker than others, but no matter how thick it is there should be an end that is a lighter green color or white. This is called the woody ends and, although they can be eaten, they generally don’t taste great. So we highly recommend trimming them off to discard.
This is really your personal preference. Snapping doesn’t require any equipment and is helpful if you are camping or on vacation without the conveniences of home. However, cutting asparagus is a little faster because you can trim more than one asparagus stalk at a time.
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How to Trim Asparagus
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: How-To
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to trim asparagus, two different and fool-proof methods! End up with perfectly trimmed asparagus every time!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- cutting board
- sharp knife
Instructions
Cutting Method:
- Wash asparagus and place on a clean cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the bottom 1-2 inches (essentially cutting off any white, woody ends). Discard ends and cook asparagus however you wish.
Breaking Method:
- Take one piece of asparagus at a time. Gently bend the piece of asparagus ensuring the middle of the bend is around where the white part begins towards the bottom. The asparagus will naturally break where the fibrous, woody part of the stem begins. Discard the bottoms and keep the top of the asparagus, cooking however you wish.
Notes
- Cooking Methods: there are so many ways to cook asparagus that we love, but our favorites are Grilled Asparagus, Smoked Asparagus and Air Fryer Asparagus!
JimmyJar says
Good luck 🙂