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How to Trim Snow Peas

Question:
How do you trim a snow pea?
Do you use an entire snow pea? Is the whole snow pea edible? How do you trim a snap pea?

Answer:
Snow peas and snap peas can either be crunchy and delicious or stringy and un-chewable… the key is completely contained in how you trim the fresh peas. Below are the instructions to quickly trim snow peas and snap peas.

Both snow peas and snap peas are completely edible, either raw or cooked. Not to be confused with garden peas, where the pod is usually discarded and the large peas contained within are then harvested to be cooked and eaten. Snow peas are the ones most often seen in stir-fry dishes and Chinese cuisine.

How to Trim Snow Peas

Trimming Snow Peas and Snap Peas

It is best to cook snow peas within a few days of purchase for best quality. The sweetest snow peas are those closest to harvest. Once picked, the natural sugars in the snow peas begin to convert into starches, taking away from the sweet taste. If they snap when you bend them, they are fresh!

How to trim snow peas (this process should begin just before cooking) :

1) Rinse off the peas.

2) Bend the pea pod back with one hand while holding with the other hand right next to the stem.
The top should snap right off but remain attached to the pod by a string.
If this isn’t working, then use a paring knife to cut from the curved edge toward the straight edge of the pea – stopping just before the connective string that runs down the side of the snow pea. A thumbnail can actually work just as well too!

3) Pull the tiny piece gently from the stem to the other end.
The string should come right off at the opposite end. If the string should break in the middle, then try starting the process again from the other side.

Note: It’s the concave side of the pea which contains the string that needs to be removed.
On larger peas, it is sometimes beneficial to also remove the opposite side as it may have become tough.

How to Trim Snow Peas

Additional Information

To find out how long peas last, see our pea page.

For tips on how to successfully stir fry, see our how to stir fry post.
For stir fry on a budget, try our hot dog recipe.

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.