Thin or thick?
Asparagus comes in several sizes, ranging in diameter from thinner than a drinking straw to fatter than your thumb. Cooks of the world have debated for ages over which are more delicious: thin asparagus or thick. Some prefer the smaller spears for their delicacy and tenderness. Others enjoy the fatter ones for their more robust flavor and meaty texture – something they can really sink their teeth into. Whichever size you chose, look for firm, brightly colored stalks with tightly closed tips.

Prepping & preparing
• Tiny, tender spears come from young asparagus plants, fatter ones derive from older plants. The smallest spears will only need to have their very bottoms trimmed before cooking. They can be sautéed, or rubbed lightly with olive oil and grilled.
• The bottom portions of larger asparagus spears can be chewy and woody; they will need to be trimmed or snapped off. To prepare them, steam or boil to make them tender. To snap off the tough portion, simply grasp the stalk with both hands and bend the bottom portion until it breaks off. The asparagus will naturally break at the point where the tender portion ends and the tough, stringy part begins.
• If you want to be less wasteful, you can peel your asparagus instead. Simply lay a stalk of asparagus flat on the countertop and strip away the tough outside layer with a vegetable peeler, beginning just below the tip and working your way toward the bottom.

Storage
Asparagus begins to lose its sweetness as soon as it's picked, so try to cook it as soon as possible after you buy it. If you plan to store it in your refrigerator for a few days, treat it like a bouquet of flowers: trim a small amount from the bottoms of the stalks using a sharp knife and place them in a tall glass with a little water in the bottom. Cover the top loosely with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. This will keep the stalks firm and crisp until you’re ready to cook them.