Asparagus comes in different sizes. There as thinner than a drinking straw, and fatter than your thumb.
The tiny, thin spears come from young asparagus plants and the thicker spears are derived from older plants. The young spears are good sauteed, or rubbed with olive oil and grilled. The fatter spears will have to be trimmed and either steamed or boiled in order for them to be tender. Cooks from around debate on which is more delicious, the slender thin spears or the thick spears.
There are those folks that prefer the thin spears for their delicacy and tenderness, there are also those that would rather have the thick spear for the robust flavor and a meaty texture that they can sink their teeth into.
How to Buy and Store Asparagus
Whatever size you chose, look for firm, brightly colored stalks with tightly closed tips.
Asparagus begins to lose its sweetness as soon as it is picked, so cook it as soon as you can. I like to cut it, wash it, and put the heat to it right away.
If you do plan to store it in your refrigerator for a few days after you get it home, treat it like a bouquet of flowers: trim a small amount from the bottoms of the stalks with a sharp knife and place them in a tall glass with a little water in the bottom. Cover the top loosely with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. This will keep the stalks firm and crisp until you are ready to cook them.
How to Prep Asparagus
The way you prepare your asparagus can depend upon its size.
The smallest spears will only need to have their very bottoms trimmed off before cooking.
The bottom portions of larger asparagus spears can be chewy and woody; they will either need to be snapped off or peeled. To snap off the tough portion, simply grasp the stalk with both hands and bend the bottom portion until it breaks off. The asparagus will naturally break off at the point where the tender portion ends and the tough, stringy part begins.
If you want to be less wasteful, you can peel your asparagus instead. Simply lay a stalk of asparagus flat on the countertop and strip away the tough outside layer with a vegetable peeler, beginning just below the tip and working your way towards the bottom.
How to Cook Asparagus
Cooking times depend upon the size of your asparagus.
Tiny spears only need a minute or two in a sauté pan.
Larger spears may need more than five minutes in boiling salted water before they're perfectly tender.
However you choose to cook it, watch your asparagus closely so that it doesn't get overdone. The flawlessly cooked spear is easy to penetrate with a knife, but still bright green in color.