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Herbs

Cooking With Herbs / Growing Herbs /  Drying Herbs / Storing Herbs

 

Storing Herbs Dried Herbs Dried herbs - either store-bought or fresh herbs you dried yourself - can be stored in airtight glass containers or tins. Don't store them near a heat source, like an oven, toaster oven, the top of your refrigerator or stove. This will make them go stale sooner. If you keep your herbs on the countertop or in another place where they are exposed to a lot of light, it is best to store them in dark-tinted containers. The best place for dried herbs is a cool, dark cupboard. Even though dried herbs keep for several years, it is best to use them the first year, when they have the best flavor.		Stored Dried Parsley
Fresh Basil in Water	Fresh Herbs Basil, cilantro and parsley stay fresh longest when stored in a glass with an inch of water on the counter at room temperature. Trim the ends off first and replace the water daily. This will keep them fresh for several days up to a week. Other herbs, like chives, thyme and rosemary, stay fresh longest when stored in an open or perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator drawer or door compartment. To make them last about a week or even longer, you should snip off the bottom of the stems and place them in a glass with about an inch of water. Cover them loosely with a moist cloth or plastic bag and keep them on the top shelf of your refrigerator. Change the water daily. When the leaves of the herbs turn dark or the stems show traces of mold, you should throw the herbs out.
Freezing also works really well with fresh herbs. You can store herbs in airtight glass containers in the freezer for about a year. Make sure you wash and dry the leaves first. You won't need to thaw them before adding them to your dish. Another way to freeze herbs is by putting them in ice cube trays and filling the trays with water. Once they are frozen, you can put the cubes in an airtight glass container. These cubes can be added to soups or stocks without defrosting. You can also defrost them in a strainer to use in other dishes. Frozen herbs keep their flavor really well. When you have too many fresh herbs, drying them (see Drying Herbs) is also an option to make them last longer.		Herbs Frozen in Ice Cubes