# How do you eat asparagus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322 "2011-02-05T23:26:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/41 "2011-05-05T01:26:58Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Prepared properly there isnt a tough yucky stub. > > I just played with a neat recipe but decided while it was pretty, it was somewhat wasteful in a time sense. > > You use a veggie peeler to peel the asparagus into long thin strips, which are quickly blanched then chilled and dressed with a vinaigrette. Great presentation, tasty but takes freaking forever. Was that the recipe on [smittenkitchen.com](http://smittenkitchen.com)? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/42 "2011-05-05T01:41:47Z")
With my fingers if it’s stiff and a fork if it’s floppy. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/43 "2011-05-05T01:51:54Z")
On cornbread with hollandaise sauce. Unsauced, I eat it with a fork. If it’s barely cooked, I’ll break out a knife. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/44 "2011-05-05T02:06:57Z")
Personally, I’d only eat it with my fingers if it was raw. Once it’s cooked, I go with the fork. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/45 "2011-05-05T02:08:54Z")
Fingers are my preferred asparagus delivery method. Trader Joe’s had some frozen grilled asparagus a while back. They were surprisingly good! I tried them with TJ’s wasabi mayo, which turned out to have a little too much kick for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Tone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Lucas\_Tone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Tone)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/46 "2011-05-05T02:11:50Z")
I always eat my asparagus with a fork unless I’m stealing some before the meal is served. I wouldn’t expect anyone to use a knife to cut it up into little pieces, but I would find it a little crude to pick a piece up from your plate and eat it with your fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/47 "2011-05-05T02:43:55Z")
For me, it depends. At home, blanched and dipped in sesame may with fingers. Out, as served with knife and fork. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/48 "2011-05-05T05:57:12Z")
I always used to stab it with a fork and then pull the fork along the spear’s length to shred it. My mother yelled at me for this (probably because I would then whip it around before eating it). But I actually do like that texture. My mother can’t yell at me now, so I eat it how I like. Hard to find good thick asparagus for it lately, however. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/49 "2011-05-05T16:41:11Z")
Mostly we cut off the woody end and cook it in a steamer basket on top of the stove, and serve it with melted butter in a small bowl. We eat it with fingers,dipping the asparagus into the butter. Each person gets butter, so double dipping is okay. If your asparagus is soggy, then you’ve cooked it too long. We sometimes grill it or saute it with olive oil - in that case we use forks and knives. But asparagus is so good you don’t need any enrichment. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/50 "2011-05-07T14:42:29Z")
I had been steaming for so long, but I recently bought a grill basket. Grilled is so good! I don’t put anything on except a little salt and pepper. I use a fork. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Postit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@Emily\_Postit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Postit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/51 "2016-05-24T17:26:14Z")
Pick up your asparagus spear one at a time, with your fingers, taking small bites until near the stalk (providing there is no Holindaise or cheese sauce on top). If you touch it with a fork, those of us who dine formally on a regular basis will know this is your first experience. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/52 "2016-05-24T17:51:29Z")
We typically grill it, do something close to\*\* Pearson Flyer’s \*\*recipe, serve it with pasta, or often we just coat it with a bit of oil, and put salt, pepper and lemon zest on it and nuke it. Then, before serving, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over it. We have to get creative; we have about a 5’x5’ bed of asparagus plants, and that’s about all the asparagus we can handle in the spring. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/53 "2016-05-24T17:57:41Z")
[Soft-boiled eggs with asparagus and brains](http://food.ninemsn.com.au/recipes/iasparagus/8341052/soft-boiled-eggs-with-asparagus-and-brains) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/54 "2016-05-24T18:11:03Z")
I have an asparagus patch in my back yard, next to the driveway. Often in the spring, as I’m passing by, I break off a stalk and eat it raw. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/55 "2016-05-25T06:41:05Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Fork only, in most cases. With a knife if necessary. Eating asparagus with fingers never even occured to me, and I’d very much notice someone else doing so. I’ve never seen anyone do this. > > Shallow as it is, I’d probably think less of someone I didn’t know for doing so. I agree with **Sattua**. Asparagus is too soggy to be a finger food. Well, your asparagus shouldn’t be too soggy to eat that way unless it’s chopped with a mornay sauce or something. Part of why I love asparagus is the permission I have to eat it with fingers! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/56 "2016-05-25T10:08:24Z")
I wrap 3 or 4 asparagus stalks in butter-brushed phyllo pastry with some slivers of smoked cheese. Bake until the phyllo is crispy. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/57 "2016-05-25T17:10:56Z")
Orally. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322/58 "2016-05-25T17:16:42Z")
Zombies don’t eat asparagus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-eat-asparagus/570322.md?page=2)