In an ideal world, we would all have our own small urban garden at home, or at least some nice pots to grow a few aromatic herbs. The shock with reality makes us depend on the supermarket product, herbs that look very shiny in their containers but spoil at home at an astonishing speed. Which the best way to keep them in the best conditions? We have tried different systems and there is a clear winner.
Parsley, basil, thyme, chives, coriander, dill… supermarkets have long offered us a good assortment of the main aromatic herbs that we usually use in the kitchen, often from organic farming. They are presented, for the most part, inside semi-rigid plastic containers, an option that is not very sustainable, but that seeks to protect them for as long as possible.
That is their main problem: fresh cut herbs are an extremely delicate and very short shelf life. This is the main reason they are sold unwashed, as doing so would speed up the decomposition process. It is something similar to what happens with berries and fruits of the forest: you just have to wash them right when you are going to use them.
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How to keep fresh herbs at home?
The most obvious form of conservation is simply store the container as is in the fridgea, also after opening. It is a product that is sold refrigerated, and as such it must be kept at home. We will use the herbs taking them out only as we need them, leaving the rest in their package without touching them, preferably in a not too cold area.
But anyone who has bought this format will know that they do not usually last long in good condition. In the popular Kitchn they put five popular preservation methods to the test to compare their effectiveness, and we have done the same. These are the simplest systems, without having to resort to specific gadgets, and that will also be useful for purchased plants in bulk or those that we collect ourselves.
In the same way that inside the commercial package they can last well for a few days, depending on the state in which they arrive at our house, also inside a common plastic bag of those for weighing the fruit can give half decent results, as long as it is preserved in the fridge. The ideal, in addition, is to check them from time to time to remove the pieces that are in worse condition.
The three best home preservation methods, and a clear winner
For our little home experiment, we bought a bunch of basil, chives and parsley on the same day. Without applying any previous treatment, except discarding the leaves that were already withered or dry, we apply three systems different ways to preserve these herbs at home:
- In a jar with the bottom covered with a couple of fingers of water, in the fridge.
- In a jar also with water, covering the leaves with a freezer bag, on the kitchen table.
- Wrapped in several sheets of very moist kitchen paper, inside a closed freezer bag, in the fridge.
After a week, these were the results obtained.
1. Jar with water in the fridge (chives)
The base of almost all the twigs appeared withered, some keeping relatively well, although the entire bouquet required a cut at both ends before being consumed. A good part of the chives was almost intact in the central body, firm, with good color and aroma, but other pieces, approximately half, were already inedible.
This method is simple and has been practiced in all homes throughout life, just like with decorative flowers. when introduced in the fridge -we put it in the least cold area-, the conservation is extended compared to room temperature. It is a comfortable system that can come in handy for a shorter conservation.
2. Jar with water covered with a bag, at room temperature (basil)
this curious improved method of the already mentioned classic is actually a proposal from another American outlet, Bon Appétit, which they call “our best trick for preserving basil”. In Kitchn they were not very convinced, although it should be noted that they used parsley and put it in the fridge.
our basil held up better than expected, small bites of insects apart -summer is a bad time-. Although some leaves appeared already withered and others with some spots, the majority remained in good condition, with all their aroma.
3. The best system: wet kitchen paper in a bag inside the fridge
Our parsley came out just as glossy as Kitchn’s, just with a few less vivid leaves, but no puckering or visible damage. The bundle had been preserved fresh, aromatic and crunchywithout moisture in the leaves or stems, lush and happy.
To apply this system you have to take at least three or four leaves of absorbent kitchen paper, moisten it well and drain it, squeezing it into a ball with your fist, so that all the leaves are very moist but without dripping. Next, they are opened gently so as not to break the leaves, they are put together to form several layers and the herbs are placed inside to be rolled up.
The ideal is not to tighten them too much, so that they breathe a little, forming a padded roll. It is then inserted into a zip lock bagtrying to extract as much air as possible, but without crushing them, and store in the fridge.
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In conclusion
These tests are based purely on a concrete experience with little scientific rigor -they would have to be repeated several times and using the same varieties of herbs under the same conditions-, but they help us to draw some interesting conclusions.
Aromatic herbs will be better preserved the higher their quality, the fresher we buy them and in better condition, preserving the cold chain to the maximum and without manipulating them excessively. As living plants, they need moisture so they don’t dry out quickly. why it works so well the paper method wet?
In the opinion of Mario Sanchez, food technologist, creator of the SefiFood outreach portal and fellow collaborator at Vitónica, “the method that uses wet paper is providing a larger surface in contact with the water, and it makes sense that this helps it stay fresher.” And he adds that “it makes sense that with the closed zip bag it will last longer, since it creates a sealed environment where moisture is retained.”
It reminds us that the refrigerator, with its low temperatures, generally preserves all foods better, and when combined with humidity and a closed environmentwe would have the key to the success of this system.
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