I'd buy this if it could get rid of that weird pee smell

Ah, asparagus. In addition to being a delicious, healthy vegetable that classes up just about any meal, it's also one of the first signs of the coming growing season. It's a sure sign that winter is being banished for yet another year.

I know there are all kinds of specialty cooking vessels and racks for asparagus and while I remain suspicious of them (a quick dip in some boiling water works pretty well for me - if you have a working microwave, I will share a really easy tip below) I am reserving judgement for now. However, I am not too sure about this little guy:

Sure, asparagus is a unique veggie (see previous note about cooking vessels) but does it really require a specialty peeler? I have had asparagus that's a bit woody towards the bottom, even after snapping off the bottom inches. I've always just used my regular peeler and it sure seemed to work well:

But what if Iwas missing something? What if I've been ruining my asparagus all this time? A quick bit of research yielded these results (from recipetips.com):

Asparagus Peeler
On thicker asparagus where the outer skin is tough, this special tool can be used to cut and peel the tough layer of outer skin away from the tender meat within the stalk. It contains a peeling blade that comes in contact with the asparagus as the upper arm of this utensil is pressed against the stalk. The asparagus is then manually pulled through and against the peeling blade. The upper arm easily adjusts with pressure to the diameter of the asparagus.

Yes, it does seem to be important for all asparagus lovers to own this tool. Right? Oh wait, this entry has another short paragraph:

This tool can also be used to peel other similar vegetable. A regular vegetable peeler can also be used to peel the tough skin away from the asparagus.

Emphasis mine (obvi).

Bonus tip for cooking asparagus: Soak a papertowel or two with water, wrap up the asparagus (envelop it) and put it on a plate. Microwave on ahigh for a minute or two. Easy steamed asparagus!