Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Helpful Hint - How to Store Fresh Herbs

I love to cook with fresh herbs. My favorites are basil and cilantro. I'd buy bunches, use a little and then they'd go bad in a matter of days. I ran across a way to keep your herbs from going bad.

The trick involves the clever use of a plastic bag.
How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs

Method
1. Snip off the bottom of the stems.



2. Make sure the leaves are completely dry. Better to hold off rinsing them until you're about to use them.



3. Fill a jar or a water glass partially with water and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar. **Be sure to tell your significant other to be careful with the glass/jar and not to knock it over trying to get to the OJ**





4. If you are storing the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a plastic bag. Cilantro loves cool temperatures and should be stored in the refrigerator. Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Basil is ideally stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator, because it is susceptible to damage from cold.



5. Change the water after several days if the water starts to discolor.



Fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, and other fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.

I love helpful little hints

4 comments:

Winnie said...

Ooooh good to know. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

If only I used fresh herbs in my cooking. And if only I actually cooked. ;)

saraphin said...

you are my hero!

10yearstogether said...

I love the way fresh herbs taste and smell, even though I don't do the cooking. Mr10yt has a little herb garden though.