Useful Tips for Herbs and Garlic
- Bay leaves are used in many dishes. They must be discarded after cooking as their
- Flavor is bitter if eaten. If you tie a piece of kitchen string to the stem of bay leaves,
- It is easier to find them when the dish is cooked.
- The seeds and ribs are the parts of fresh chillies that contain the most heat. An easy
- Way to cut them is to remove the cape and use your paring knife to cut off the flesh,
- Leaving the seeds and ribs attached as a core. Discard the core, then chop the flesh.
- Select fresh ginger that is plump and firm. The skin should be tan and shiny, not
- Wrinkled or shriveled.
- It is easiest to chop ginger with a sharp paring knife. Peel the ginger and slice it
- against the grain into then slices. Place a stack of slices together and cut into thin shreds.
- Then turn your cutting board and dice the shreds.
- If you rub your hands with a few parsley sprigs after handling onion, it will take away much
- of the lingering smell.
- An easy way to peel garlic is to separate the cloves from the head and him them with the
- back of a small skillet or the flat side of a meat pounder. The skins will slip right off the garlic
- Cloves.
- If you are preparing a dish with fresh parsley, rinse the remaining parsley sprigs, discard the
- Stems, and pat dry with Bounty paper towels. Wrap small amounts of plastic wrap and freeze
- Them for future use. You can “chop” frozen parsley with the blunt side of a knife and use it for
- Cooked dishes. Use fresh sprigs as a garnish.
- Fresh herbs should be washed before storing in the refrigerator. Dry well and make a “bouquet”
- Cut off the ends of the stems, place in a glass of water, and store in the refrigerator. For extra
- Shelf life, cover the herb bouquet loosely with a plastic bag.
- Always start with the minimum amount of red pepper in a recipe. You can add more if you want it spicier, but you cannot make it less spicy once red pepper flakes have been added.
