If you watch any of my recipes, you know how much I love to add fresh herbs to any dish, whether it is a salad or a pot roast. Parsley, basil, dill, chives, they liven up any meal and add a bright burst of flavor. And with summer around the corner, I wanted to share my quick tips for washing, chopping and storing fresh herbs.
Wash all of your herbs ahead of time, then gently pat them dry on sheets of paper towels. If you chop herbs immediately after washing them, they become mushy, you bruise them and they fall apart. Make sure they are dry before chopping them. I store them in my refrigerator, either in the damp paper towel, or I put them, stem down, in tiny mason jars and fill them with water, like a flower arrangement.
Chopping Tips:
- Dill, Cilantro, Parsley: Remove the stems, but don’t feel like you need to pick the florets off the stem, they are tender enough to eat. Pile them up, then chop, keeping the tip of the knife in the same place, but moving the handle part of the knife back and forth, until the herbs are finely chopped.
- Basil: Stack the leaves on top of each other, roll the stack like a cigar, then slice thinly across, creating beautiful threads of chopped basil
- Rosemary and Thyme: These have a thicker, tougher stem. Remove the leaves, discarding the woody stem, and chop.
