Trimming the End
Rinse the asparagus under cool water. Remove any dirt or grit that might be on your asparagus. To dry, roll 2-3 spears at a time between 2 kitchen towels. Don’t wash your asparagus until you’re ready to use them. The spears spoil quickly and will go bad even faster if you wash them before storing them.
Chop off the white ends with a chef’s knife. Lay 7-8 spears on a cutting board with their flat ends in line. Using a long, sharp knife, cut about 1 inch (2.5 cm) off from the flat ends. It’s okay if there’s a little white left over--you just want to remove the majority of the hard stalk.
Snap off the ends if you don’t want to use a knife. Grasp the ends of 2-3 spears and bend them. The woody end should snap off at just about where the tough, white-brown stalk meets the softer green part. You will likely lose more usable asparagus through this method, and your spears may be less neatly-cut.
Peel the woody lower half with a vegetable peeler. If your asparagus spears are more than about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) thick and have tough outer skin, use a vegetable peeler to peel 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) of tough skin from the lower half. Use short, strong downward strokes and peel until you reach the more tender lower layer. It’s unlikely that you’ll have to peel your asparagus stalks unless they’re very thick. If you’re unsure, though, it’s better to peel off the extra skin than have hard asparagus bits in your dish. Always peel white asparagus. It has a tougher stem than the green and purple varieties that you’ll want to get rid of before you begin cooking.
Cutting the Spears Diagonally
Line up 3-4 spears on a cutting board. Set them horizontally to you and make sure their flat ends are in line. Use your knife to neaten up any uneven cuts before you begin, making sure the ends are all symmetrical.
Place a small knife on the asparagus and tilt it at an angle. Hold the pointed tips of the spears with one hand. Hold the knife in your dominant hand at a 45-degree angle to your cutting board, near the end of the spears. Make sure to tilt it away from your other hand. For a more slanted cut, simply hold the knife at a sharper angle. Try a 30-degree cut for a long, smooth slant.
Cut the spears into 2 inches (5.1 cm) diagonal pieces. First, cut the flat end to make it a slant. Continue down the rest of the stalk, slicing downwards to get a clean, diagonal cut. One spear should yield 5-6 pieces. If a recipe calls for “cut asparagus,” it’s likely referring to this kind of cut, which gives you the most flesh and will allow for an even cook.
Chopping Your Asparagus
Line up 5-6 spears. Place them on a cutting board, laying horizontally to you, with the flat ends in an even line. If the cut on the end looks a bit jagged, neaten it out.
Cut the spears in half with a chef’s knife. Holding the spears in one hand, use a sharp knife to slice down smoothly with your dominant hand. Then, line up the halved spears so that the flat ends are in line.
Chop the halved spears into ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) pieces. Starting from the flat end, chop the halved spears into small pieces, about ⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) long. Curl in the fingertips of your non-cutting hand to avoid cutting yourself.
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