Working with Fresh Herbs
Cooking with fresh herbs is about timing. If you add them too early, you lose the brightness; add them too late, and they remain raw and jagged against your other ingredients.
Wash, dry, and store properly.
Treat your herbs like flowers; trim the stems and store them upright in a jar of water or rolled in a damp paper towel in the crisper drawer to keep them crisp until you are ready to use them.
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Paper towels
What goes in.
- 1 bunchSoft herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, mint)
- 1 bunchHard herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage)
Stack, Roll, and Slice
For large, flat leaves like basil, stack several leaves, roll them into a tight cigar shape, and slice thin ribbons. This prevents bruising the leaves, which causes them to turn black.
The method.
Strip the hard herbs
Hold the stem of thyme or rosemary at the top and pull your fingers downward against the direction of the leaves. Collect only the leaves, as the stems are often woody and unpleasant to chew.
Chop with a sharp edge
Use a truly sharp knife. A dull blade crushes the herb cells, releasing the oils onto the board instead of keeping them inside the leaves where you want them.
Control the heat
Add rosemary or sage to your fat while it heats up to infuse the oil. Add cilantro or parsley once the heat is turned off to ensure they remain vibrant green.
Other turns to take.
Herb Oils
Blitz soft herbs with neutral oil in a blender and strain through a coffee filter for a vibrant green finishing oil.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Never chop herbs until the exact moment you are ready to use them; they oxidize and lose potency within minutes of being cut.
When chopping, keep your knife moving in a fluid motion rather than pressing down hard, which bruises the delicate veins.
If your herbs look wilted, plunge the stems into an ice water bath for 10 minutes to shock them back to life.
The ones that keep coming up.
Should I use the stems?
Soft stems like those on cilantro or parsley hold immense concentration of flavor. Finely mince them and use them in cooking bases, but discard tough, woody stems from rosemary or thyme.
Why did my basil turn black after chopping?
This happens when the leaves are bruised or the knife is dull. Use a very light touch and a sharp blade, and chop basil only seconds before serving.
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