How to Cut Asparagus

Here’s how to cut asparagus: trim off the ends where the stalk turns from white to green! Follow this easy method.

Got a big, bright bunch of asparagus and ready to cook with it? Great: grab your knife and let’s talk about prepping this delicious vegetable. Here’s how to cut asparagus—or how to trim it—so that you can use it in recipes of all kinds.

Here’s the most important thing to know about asparagus. The thick bottom part of the spear is white or light purple in color: it’s very tough and not meant to be eaten! Contrary to what you might think, the easiest way to remove it isn’t just to snap it off. The best way is with a knife! Here’s a fast and easy way for how to cut asparagus.

How to cut asparagus: step by step

Step 1: Line up the asparagus on a cutting board.

Line up the asparagus spears on a cutting board, all facing the same direction.

Step 2: Slice off the bottom portion, just where the white turns to green.

Grab half of the stalks with your non-cutting hand. Using a large chef’s knife, slice off the bottom tough parts of the stalks just where the color turns from white to green. Repeat with the other half of the stalks.

And that’s it: you’ve got asparagus that’s ready to be used in any recipe! Speaking of…we’ve got some below.

How long does asparagus last?

Fresh asparagus lasts refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. A best practice for storage: use those trimmed asparagus spears and stand them up in a jar or wide glass with 1 inch of water in the bottom. Cover the tops with a plastic bag and refrigerate. However, we often just store our asparagus in the produce drawer and it does fine.

Asparagus recipes

Once you’ve mastered how to cut asparagus, there are so many ways to cook it! Here are some favorite asparagus recipes and

• Oven: Try tasty Baked Asparagus, Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, or Broiled Asparagus
• Stovetop: Try Sauteed Asparagus, Steamed Asparagus, Boiled Asparagus, or Blanched Asparagus
• Grill: Opt for smoky Grilled Asparagus
• Pasta and risotto: Try creamy and lemony Asparagus Risotto or Asparagus Pasta
• Salad: Go fresh and delicious with an Asparagus Salad with Feta or Shaved Asparagus Salad with Parmesan
• Frittata: Try Tomato & Asparagus Frittata

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Baked Asparagus with Parmesan

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Perfect Grilled Asparagus

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Asparagus Pasta with Lemon

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Asparagus Salad with Feta

Best chef knife & cutting boards

A good knife can drastically improve your time in the kitchen! We’ve had our chef knives for 10 plus years and they still work great. Here are some of the knives we recommend, non-slip cutting boards, and the best knife sharpener. These recommendations are perfect for outfitting your own kitchen, or great gifts for a wedding registry or someone who loves to cook:

• 7″ Chef’s Knife — our best knife recommendation
• 10″ Chef’s Knife — our favorite large knife
• 8″ Chef’s Knife — our favorite affordable knife
• Paring Knife
• Serrated Knife / Bread Knife
• Non-Slip Wood Cutting Board (used in the video!) or Non-Slip Bamboo Cutting Board
• Non-Slip Plastic Cutting Board
• Knife Sharpener
• Drawer Knife Organizer — this is how we store our knives, and it’s even slicker than a knife block

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