Prepping Asparagus: To Snap Or Not To Snap
We’ve always been told to snap asparagus at the base to remove the toughest part of the spear – in fact, it’s a pretty fun kitchen chore. But a recent video from Food52’s Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs (with guest star Amateur Gourmet Adam Roberts) has us rethinking this little trick. They are “anti-snapping.” Check out the video below to learn why, and get the recipe for a Thai-inspired asparagus salad with Meyer lemons.
Stubbs explains that they “don’t necessarily buy” the argument that the asparagus will snap in the right place and think you end up wasting too much. She suggests snapping if you want to make a soup or something that needs to be really smooth. But otherwise, they don’t bother with it. For this particular recipe, they use the more old-school method of peeling the ends to remove the tough outer skins.
We’ve used the peeling method the last few times we’ve cooked with asparagus and although we did still chop off the very end of the spears, it’s worked out pretty well.
Where do you stand? Are you pro-snapping or anti-snapping?
Related: Quick Tip: How to Trim Asparagus
(Image: Flickr user Muffet, licensed under Creative Commons. Video: Food52 via The Amateur Gourmet)