Once upon a time, we made a point of seeking out the skinniest asparagus in the store, believing it to be more delicate, and fresher than old thick and woody stalks.
But now we've seen the error of our ways, and no longer push aside the fat asparagus. Instead we reach for it. Why?
For one thing, skinny asparagus no longer means what it used to. Big agriculture now grows lots of skinny asparagus and there's no guarantee that the skinny ones are any fresher than their fat brethren.
But when you find a grower that you trust to bring you good fresh stalks that aren't too woody, then fat asparagus is where its at. For one thing, they stand up to cooking better. For thin asparagus, the window of time between just right and overcooked is very small, making it easy to wind up with stringy, overcooked stalks.
Thick stalks have a nice crunch, and a deep flavor. And then there's the tips. Large tips are both soft and firm, and are incredibly juicy.
Of course, skinny stalks still have their place. They cook faster, and you never have to peel them. For a dish where delicateness is king, we use pencil-thin.
But for dishes like roasted asparagus, or steamed with hollandaise sauce, or even stirred into a pasta, we're loving big fat stalks.
What do you think? Do you reach for fat or skinny?
Related: Quick Tip: How to Trim Asparagus
Images: Nina Callaway and Faith Hopler, for the Kitchn
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Yeah, I prefer thick for the same reasons. My mom always says the thin ones "taste grassy" and I agree that there's more of the best kind of asparagus flavor in the thicker stalks.
view katef's profile
I'm an asparagus barbecuer. Fat stalks olive oil salt pepper BBQ = grilled awesomeness.
Try the same thing with skinny stalks and you end up with withered terribleness.
view ChzPlz's profile
Fat, skinny, I don't discriminate.
It's nice to do a salad that mixes up different sizes and textures.
The most important thing to me is where it comes from though. This past sunday I snapped a stalk off from my parents yard and it was so tender. I just can't get over how juicy and tender it is. Good dirt and no chemicals. Of course it has never been in a refrigerator either.
view art's profile
I grew up in an area where they grow asparagus. When I'm at home, we get the thin asparagus during the growing season and it is wonderful. Other than that, I get it when it doesn't look dried out and the price is affordable.
view sciencegeek's profile
"Of course, skinny stalks still have their place. They cook faster, and you never have to peel them."
Peel them? Have I been missing a crucial step all these years?
view Shawn's profile
The farmer's market near my apartment has had asparagus for the past few weeks, and they had a sign up last week claiming that the only difference between fat and thin asparagus is that the fat ones had more room to grow (less competition from other plants, weeds, etc.).
view ScienceandtheCity's profile
I am a fan of both, but prefer fat ones when available. They seem to stand up so much better and have a decidedly different flavor.
view Mark Boxshus - Boscoe The Cookie Doctor's profile
I reach for the fat ones. The skinny ones just seem to have less flavor and skinny asparagus just seems wrong.
I live in an area where they are harvesting asparagus right down the road from me and I go to their market and buy the stuff fresh as in just picked 20 min ago. Man that is some good asapragus. YUMM!
view Beetastic's profile
I'm with shawn. What do you mean peel them? I've never peeled asparagus. When are you supposed to peel them?
view erinorea's profile
once while at a farmers' market, one of the vendors told me that fat or skinny didn't matter, as the diameter of an asparagus stays the same from the moment they push through the ground. fat ones are born fat, skinny ones won't get fatter.
any truth to this?
personally i prefer fatter (more satisfying), and as long as i snap off the woody bottoms, they are perfectly tender. no peeling necessary.
view quiet time's profile