How much of the cooked asparagus stem should one eat?!
How much of the cooked asparagus stem should one eat?
When one is served green asparagus, steamed and covered with melted butter or parmisan cheese, does one eat the entire stalk, down the to bottom of the stem, or does one leave the grainy, lower portion on the plate?
Answers:
A professional cook would know to cut off the bottom part of the stem. Most other cooks do too so most likely you would eat the entire stalk because they would have broken off the woody part. Most cooks bend one or two stalks to find out where the woody part starts. Rather than break each stalk they line up the one or two broken stalks with the bunch of asparagus. They use the broken stalk as a guide and cutoff the woody stem off the other stalks. If the stalks are thick they might be a bit grainy even when broken off but that just means you get a bit more fiber in your diet.
It is ok to eat the whole thing as they are normally cleaned properly. But once in a while you might have to leave a lower portion on your plate. Like the other guy said if it doesn't want to cut easily with a fork it might be too fiberous.
umm, why not all of it??
Before cooking them, bend them. They'll naturally break at their ripest part. Whatever is left is edible...and delicious.
You should snap off the ends before you cook them. That way you can eat the whole thing after they are cooked.
That's personal preference but, most people leave the grainy lower portion, eating only that which cuts with a fork.
you can eat the whole thing, it won't hurt you
You can eat it all, but if you hold a the fresh, raw asparagus and bend it unitl it snaps, the upper portion (the grainy bit) is the best, most tender when cooked! Go easy on the butter and cheese though! :-D
"Cut off bottom fourth of asparagus, and discard, as it is tough and stringy."
You can trim off the lower 1 to 3 inches before cooking then eat the rest of the stalk. If you overcook the asperagus the stalk will be more stringy and tough. The best ways to cook are to steam for a few mins., or drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper then grill or cook on a grill pan. Delicious!
Well when you cook/steam/prepare asparagus you should break or cut off the very bottom after you clean them. The bottom will actually snap off at the right spot when you break it with your hands, so after cooking them the grainy part you are talking about shouldn't even be there to eat. It's usually a few inches from the bottom. If you are unsure, which I have never been served asparagus that hasn't had the bottom taken off ahead of time, you could cut off the bottom with a knife and leave it on your plate. Don't bite it down.
If the cooked asparagus is about 4 inches long you can eat the whole piece.If much longer the outside should be peeled off past the 4" or so which makes it edible.Size also plays a role.
Small thin asparagus(Younger) are easier to eat whole,med or large are tougher And would not eat past the 4"or so.
snap off the ends.... ew. haha smelly pee
If the asparagus is trimmed properly there will be NO grainy portion, so eat the whole thing!