Whether or not you peel asparagus stalks depends upon their thickness. Generally, the larger the stalks of asparagus are, the thicker the peel will be. For the most part, asparagus that is less than ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick won’t need to be peeled. If the asparagus does need to be peeled, a vegetable peeler will do the trick, or just use a paring knife. Some people like to cut their asparagus into bite-sized pieces to save time on prep and cook time, but I prefer to just trim the ends.