Trim the woody ends of the stalks. First, bend the bottom of a stalk until it snaps. Then line up the ends of a handful of spears on a cutting board and use a chef’s knife to trim the same amount from them all. Repeat with the remaining spears.If the stalks are particularly wide, they may also have a tough peel on the stalk, so feel free to use a vegetable peeler to peel it. This isn't necessary for small/medium stalks.
Blanch
Bring a large saucepan of water (lightly salted if preferred) to a boil. Once boiling, carefully lower the asparagus into the water using tongs or a slotted spoon.
The time to blanch asparagus depends on its size/thickness. For very thin spears, 1-1:30 minutes is enough. For medium spears, 2 minutes should work great. And, for large/extra-large spears, I recommend 3-4 minutes.It is ready when it has a bright, vibrant green color with a crisp-tender texture.
Once the time is up, use tongs to transfer the stalks to an ice bath (large bowl of ice water) to halt the cooking process. Allow it to sit in the water for about 5 minutes or until entirely cooled.
Once cool, transfer to a clean kitchen towel to drain and carefully pat the spears dry. If wanted, now is the time to cut them down into smaller 1-2-inch pieces.
Freeze
Spread the spears across a large tray in a single layer, ensuring they aren't touching. Then transfer the tray to the freezer to flash freeze for 1-2 hours until they're solid.This step ensures they won't stick together when frozen, so it's easy to thaw only as much as you need each time.
Transfer the spears to an airtight container or freezer bag (squeezing out any excess air).Store in the freezer for 6-8 months for the best quality (in terms of flavor and texture), though it technically lasts up to 12 months.
Notes
Use the best asparagus: Make sure it's fresh, in-season, and not past its best.
Save any scraps: The ends can be added to a freezer bag of veggie scraps to turn into vegetable stock or asparagus end soup.
Thicker asparagus freezes better: Because very thin spears (pencil thickness or less) are naturally more tender, they're more likely to become mushy upon thawing.
Don't blanch too much at one time: It will cause the water temperature to drop, and it won't blanch evenly. Generally, I recommend blanching about 14 oz at a time.
Blanch by size: If your bundle of asparagus comes in various thicknesses, it's best to blanch them in batches so none are over or under-blanched. Start by adding the thicker spears to the water, then add the rest incrementally based on their size and recommended blanching time.
Have the ice bath ready: Before you blanch the asparagus, have the bowl of ice water ready to immediately transfer it.
Thoroughly dry the spears: This will prevent ice crystals and stop the asparagus from becoming mushy upon thawing.
Check the blog post for more tips and serving recommendations!