Before your asparagus is ready to be prepared for cooking, you need to first understand how to clean asparagus the perfect way as crops and plantations are never free from dirt and unseen bacteria or particles. The washing process may not be too difficult.
The first thing you need to do is to strip the tiny scales of the asparagus stems on the sides by using a small paring knife. This is the part where sands are held and usually the presence of grit is found in this area. They should be cleaned thoroughly as sometimes the grit is still present in the asparagus even after cooking although it may look clean before you cook the asparagus. Sometimes thick asparagus can have tough outer skins. Although not a necessary step but if you find it too hard you may peel the tough skins off using the vegetable peeler.
People are not aware about how to clean asparagus. Many do not know that it is an important step to be done hence most people uses the approach of ordinary cleaning like any other vegetables. You do not need to immerse the asparagus in water as this might cause the loss of minerals and vitamins in the vegetable.
The next step is to wash the asparagus stems thoroughly in several changing cold waters. During the washing process lift the asparagus out of the washing container instead of pouring out the water. It is said that pouring off the water from the container will not wash away the sand held onto the asparagus. It is very much likely that they will remain in the bottom of the container and stick onto the vegetable again.
Those who know how to clean asparagus may use another washing method that is by rinsing the asparagus spears under cool water. The intention is also to remove the accumulated sand in the vegetable. While washing them under the flow of water, hold the underneath end of the stem in one hand and bend it gently with the other hand. The stem will break at the tender location and the broken ends can be used for soups. Once you are done with the stem-breaking, rub the asparagus gently. Turn them upside down to clean the tips of the stalks.
After the washing process you will need to dry the asparagus. The easiest drying method is to roll them between two clean kitchen towels. You can cook them in a whole or cut them into smaller pieces for frying or other means of cooking.