Food. Drink. Fun.
advertisement

video : CHOW Tip

How to Store Basil

Daniel Duane shares his method for keeping basil fresh.

CHOW Tips are the shared wisdom of our community. If you’ve figured out some piece of food, drink, or cooking wisdom that you’d like to share on video (and you can be in San Francisco), email Meredith Arthur and tell us what you’ve got in mind.

Published December 03, 2007

Comments

I've used this exact same technique for storing cilantro, with good results. However, I've also heard that you rise your herbs, pat them REALLY dry, and wrap them in a lightly dampened paper towel, that it also works well. The advantage to method #2 is that you can't accidentally knock over a large glass of water in your fridge.

I usually rinse my basil, parsley, and cilantro, then snip the stems. I then wrap the fresh herbs in a wet paper towel and store them in a plastic bag. It works great for a week or so.

I think that after watching a bunch of these, the only purpose of these tips is to pad the resumes of the presenters. I think that any actual valuable information has been left out.

For instance, Daniel might have mentioned that if you cut the herbs on an angle (and preferably cut them with the stems underwater), they'll absorb more water. (Do this with fresh flowers too to extend their life). As with flowers, I'd guess that changing the water daily would help the herbs last longer.

I've been using this method (mostly on cilantro) for years and it works very well for well over a week.

What do you think?

You need to log in to post a comment.

About/Contact CHOW | Site Map | Newsletters | Mobile | Tags | Feedback | Site Talk | Chowhound : Guidelines : Manifesto : FAQ

Popular on CBS sites: Fantasy Football | World News | Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | The Sims 3 | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use