How to choose, store, and cook asparagus: tips from Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi

Asparagus is a very healthy and dietary spring vegetable that goes well with all foods. It can be added to salads, pies, and even desserts. It is very important to choose, clean, and cook it properly.

Culinary expert Volodymyr Yaroslavskyi shared on Instagram his tips on how to choose, store, and cook asparagus.

1. How to choose asparagus

"For cooking, we take shorter and thicker sprouts, for salads and raw, it is better to eat thinner ones, and asparagus should not be flabby," the cook advises.

2. How to store asparagus properly

Store in the refrigerator in a damp towel and then in a plastic bag for up to 5-7 days.

3. Do you need to wash asparagus before peeling

"With my fingernail, I check 1-2 sprouts for skin density starting from the lower third. When the fingernail easily breaks through the upper film, it no longer needs to be cut off – this way I determine where I need to clean the sprouts, only the upper hard film," the chef said.

Volodymyr also added that in Michelin restaurants, chefs sometimes leave only the beautiful upper third, and with a knife they carefully cut the skin around the ring, peel it as usual, then use a knife to level it all the same from the peeled part to the ring cut.

4. Which part to remove

"I put the knife on the bottom of the asparagus, for example, 1 cm from the cut and press down on it, feel that the blade does not push through, put it 0.5 cm further – again tightly, put it another 0.5 cm further – and feel it push through – then cut off the bottom," the chef explained.

5. How to cut asparagus

"If it's raw asparagus for a salad, it's better to cut it into slices, and after cooking, cut it into rings, even slices, or with an oblique cut," Yaroslavskyi recommends.

6. How to cook properly

"In boiling salted water for about a minute to 2.5 from the moment of boiling. Then remove it from the boiling water and put it in water with ice, leave it there for a few minutes, so the asparagus will be pleasantly crispy, elastic, and very tasty," the chef summarized.