ASPARAGUS

ASPARAGUS PRESENTS ONLY ONE PREPARATION issue—should the spears be peeled, or is it better to discard the tough, fibrous ends entirely? While peeled asparagus have a silkier texture, we preferred the contrast between the peel and inner flesh. Peeling is also a lot of work. We prefer to simply snap off the tough ends and proceed with cooking (see figure 1).

We investigated moist-heat cooking methods and found that boiling and steaming yielded similar results. The delicate tips remained a bit crisper when the asparagus was steamed, so that's our preferred method.

A second option for asparagus is stir-frying. The spears must be cut into smaller pieces—about one-and-a-half inches is right. We found that there is no reason to precook asparagus before stir-frying. As long as you use a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus in a single layer, they will soften after about four minutes of stir-frying. Adding a fairly liquidy sauce (which will reduce quickly to a syrup) helps finish the cooking process.

A third option, and one that most cooks don't consider, is grilling or broiling. The intense dry heat concentrates the flavor of the asparagus, and the exterior caramelization makes the spears especially sweet. The result is asparagus with a heightened and—we think—delicious flavor.