5 Old-School Cooking Tips Everyone Should Know

Pépin's eye toward economy extends to other foods, too—take, for example, asparagus. While we've always chopped off the bottom of the stalk, Pépin says there's no need to scrap that portion completely. Instead, he simply peels this section, to reveal the tender, perfectly edible green underneath. Here's how: Hold the asparagus stalk flat on a work surface with one hand, and with a vegetable peeler in the other, lightly slice away the lower third of the stem by simultaneously rolling the asparagus over and peeling downward toward the end of the stalk. Then trim off about a half-inch of the base and proceed with cooking.