Beloved chef Julia Child has many cooking tips to make every meal a work of art. Her tips for consistently cooking basic vegetables perfectly have become essential for many home cooks. One thing Julia Child has proven is that giving the proper care to even the simplest aspects of cooking can make any dish sing. That applies even when picking out produce, especially with trickier ones like asparagus. Julia Child has a tip for that too from her book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”: pick asparagus stalks that are firm and crisp with closed and compact tips. She also recommends picking asparagus stalks that are moist at the cut end specifically.
Julia Child’s tips each have their own rhyme and reason. Asparagus with closed tips work best not just for appearance, but actually because these tips can be a good indicator of age. The older asparagus is, the more the tips open up and begin to dry out. Looking for asparagus with moisture at the cut ends can also indicate freshness, as asparagus shouldn’t be dry texturally.
Child recommends you choose fatter stems as they are just as tender as thinner stems and are easier to handle due to their size, especially if the asparagus needs to be peeled. Combine this tip with Julia Child’s tip for tender asparagus and even more inexperienced home cooks have the means to make something great from something simple. While there are several potential mistakes standing between you and perfect asparagus, starting with great produce can prove to be quite an advantage.
Picking the best asparagus
When checking an asparagus stalk for quality and freshness, Julia Child noted on her show that stalks should be evenly firm from top to bottom. She also mentioned that asparagus showing what she called a “dowager’s hump”, which is a section of misshapen stalk, is a sign of aging and dryness, which should be avoided. Overall, the goal is to get asparagus that is firm but not hard.
One thing Julia Child also notes is that it is better to choose individual, loose asparagus rather than buying asparagus in bundles. Her reasoning behind this is simple: This allows you to choose each stalk individually. It also makes it easier to get stalks of the same size for easier preparation, which can be achieved by cutting the butts of the stalks down to size.
Beyond these tips, color is also an important factor when buying asparagus. Asparagus that is a bright, rich green color with some white at the bottom of the stalk is ideal. A dull color is usually an indicator that asparagus is old, so be sure to avoid that. Texture also plays a big role; any asparagus that appears wilted or limp should be avoided. The goal is to get asparagus that appears and feels firm but is not overly hard or woody. With these tricks, and Julia Child’s guidance, you’re sure to make an asparagus dish that will wow others.
