Prepping Herbs

Be a Better Home Cook! This Just Maika Cooking: Cook’s Notebook section will focus on everything related to prepping herbs connected to all my recipe posts, which are updated frequently.

ingredients for the lemon oregano vinaigrette in spread out and labeled.

Image: Ingredients for the Lemon-Oregano Dressing for the Grilled Zhug Ras el Hanout Lamb Chops and Tomato Salad recipe.

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Importance of Fresh Herbs
Don’t Always Chop!
How to Chop Fresh Herbs?
Use Roughly Chopped Herbs
Chopping Dill
Herbs with Garlic
Use a Salad Spinner
More Cooking Tips
Easy Recipes

Importance of Fresh Herbs

Using fresh herbs in cooking offers many benefits that extend beyond flavor. These aromatic, vibrant greens infuse dishes with a fresh, natural taste and bring a wealth of nutrients to your meals.

Fresh herbs like basil, parsley, and cilantro are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, enhancing the overall healthfulness of your culinary creations. Additionally, fresh herbs add complexity and depth to flavors, making your dishes more satisfying and enjoyable.

Master Taste

They allow for greater creativity and experimentation in the kitchen, as the subtle variations in each herb can be used to tailor the taste of a dish to your preferences.

Furthermore, the visual appeal of freshly chopped herbs sprinkled over a plate adds a touch of elegance, making your food as visually pleasing as it is delicious.

So, whether it's a simple garnish or a key ingredient, incorporating fresh herbs into your cooking is a delightful way to heighten your meals' taste and presentation.

two hands holding a sprig of cilantro while pinching it at the last leaf on a cutting board with a small container of picked cilantro

Picked Fresh Cilantro

Don’t Always Chop!

Using fresh-picked herbs straight from the garden or the market offers immediate freshness and intensity that enhances the overall flavor of your dishes, as their essential oils are at their peak.

Picking and adding whole leaves or sprigs preserves their vitality and imparts a delightful visual and aromatic appeal to your culinary creations, enhancing the dining experience.

Some recipes will call for herbs to be prepared, like greens. Just like the Fresh Hoisin Mushrooms Noodle Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce, giving it that extra kick of fresh flavor.

Cook's Notebook - Check out other helpful tips on Saving Time in the Kitchen.

How to Chop Fresh Herbs?

Learn from my step-by-step picture guide on the general skills of chopping herbs. Follow and read the steps, breaking down the process to help you achieve perfectly chopped herbs every time.

parsley leaves bunched up by hands on a plastic cutting board

You can do this with any small flat-leaf herbs but do not use this for basil or mint leaves, which require a different cutting method. Start by bunching the herbs together with your hands.

parsley chopped by a knife while another hand hold the leaf bunch for chopping herbs tutorial

Hold the bunch with one hand and your knife with the other. Slice the leaves thinly as you move across the bunch.

hands holding the knife at the tip and hand to do a rocking motion to chop the parsley leaves

Turn your knife to a horizontal position and, with a rocking motion, chop from top to bottom.

hands holding the knife vertically at the tip and hand to do a rocking motion to chop the parsley leaves

Turn your knife back to a vertical position and, with a rocking motion, again go from right to left; unless you are left-handed, you’ll start from the opposite direction.

hands holding the knife vertically at the tip and hand to do a rocking motion to chop the parsley leaves for the chopping herbs tutorial

Keep chopping alternatively in the horizontal and vertical positions until the herbs are the size you desire.

knife scrapping up chopped parsley leaves on a plastic cutting board

Once you're done, scrap all the chopped pieces together to form a neat pile.

knife scrapping up chopped parsley leaves on a plastic cutting board for the chopping herbs tutorial

Scrap up the leaves using your blade knife or a bench scrap to add to whatever recipe item or container.

Get the tools! I use the Flexible Plastic Colored Mats with Food Icons and the PAUDIN 7-Inche Santoku Knife.

Use Roughly Chopped Herbs

Roughly chopping herbs offers the advantage of quick and effortless preparation, making them an ideal choice when you need to add a burst of fresh flavor to your salads or dishes in a hurry.

Their larger pieces save time and provide a satisfying, rustic texture and a more pronounced herby depth of flavor to your meals.

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Chopping Dill

Learn from my step-by-step picture guide on dill chopping. Follow and read the steps breaking down the process, helping you achieve perfectly chopped dill.

two hands pinching a dill sprig to remove the leaves

Pinch off the dark green dill leaves between the bottom of the last leaves and stem.

a pile of dill leaves being bunched up by a hand on a plastic cutting board

Bunch the dill leaves together with one hand.

a knife chopping dill leaves while the other hand holds the pile

Chop the bunch moving horizontally.

dill leaves being chopped with a knife for chopping herbs tutorial

Keep a hold of the rest of the dill bunched up while chopping.

two hands holding a knife, one at the tip and the other on the handle to rock the knife to chop the dill leaves for the chopping herbs tutorial

Use the hand to hold the blade's tip to move in a rocking motion to chop.

two hands holding a knife, one at the tip and the other on the handle to rock the knife to chop the dill leaves horizontally

Then, turn your knife horizontally while holding down the blade's tip and chop, moving it vertically while rocking it.

chopped dill scrapped together to form a pile on a cutting board with knife for the chopping herbs tutorial

Chop one more time, moving horizontally with the blade.

a small glass bowl with chopped dill leaves held in the hand

Voila!

Get the tool! I use the PAUDIN 7-Inche Santoku Knife.

Video Overview on Dill

In this informative video tutorial, you'll learn the best techniques for chopping dill like a pro, enhancing your culinary skills. From the right tools to precise cutting methods, I'll guide you through the process so you can confidently add the vibrant, fresh flavor of dill to your dishes.

Dill for the Aleppo Pepper Siced Vegetarian Borscht recipe. Get the tools I use! I used the PAUDIN 7-Inche Santoku Knife, the Green Plastic Cutting Board in this video to prevent cross-contamination, and the Dual-Measure Scoop Set.

Herbs with Garlic

Chopping fresh herbs with garlic unlocks flavors that can improve the whole dish. When these two combine, you will create your very own aromatic power couple! Some of my recipes call for this technique.

Why Chop Them Together?

Crushing garlic's cell walls releases allicin, a sulfur compound responsible for its pungent bite. This allicin mingles with the essential oils bursting from the herbs, creating a unique and potent flavor profile that elevates the entire dish.

Imagine the earthy depth of rosemary with garlic's sharp heat or the vibrant citrusy notes of basil dancing with garlic's subtle sweetness. It's twice the flavor with just one prep, with each ingredient playing its part.

When to Add It?

Instead of just sauteing onions and garlic, simply add this mixture to the sauteed onions to build flavor at the beginning of the dish.

a knife chopping garlic on a plastic cutting board.

First, chop the garlic into smaller pieces.

a knife chopping herbs and garlic on a plastic cutting board

Second, chop or slice the herbs and combine.

a knife finely chopping garlic and herbs on a plastic cutting board

Finally, continue to chop until you get your desired size, from coarse to finely chopped.

Get the tools I use! I used the PAUDIN 7-Inche Santoku Knife, and the Green Plastic Cutting Board to prevent cross-contamination.

Video On Chopping Garlic & Herbs

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Use a Salad Spinner

A salad spinner can be a handy tool for rinsing and drying herbs efficiently. After washing the herbs, just place them in the salad spinner and give it a few spins, removing excess water and leaving you with clean and dry herbs ready for chopping or garnishing your meals.

Learn how to use the Salad Spinner to Wash and Dry your Herbs