Bring those wilted, forgotten herbs back to life with this “shocking” method!
Okay. show of hands but who here have wilted herbs in their fridge right now? Or better yet, who here “forgot” about those fresh herbs in the fridge drawer or shelf only to find them later all wilted and lifeless? Come on, don’t be shy. We’ve all done it. Yes, even me. It happens to be honest. If you’re like me, you jam-pack your fridge that you sometimes forget what’s all in there.
I used to be notorious for killing cilantro and parsley, However not anymore. With this trick, I’ve greatly reduced my waste.
A million years ago I wrote 2 articles discussing herbs:
However, I realized I never shared with you that in-between stage of reviving the herbs for one last hurrah. Skip the trash and shock them!
Shock your herbs to give them life
No, I’m not talking about performing some Dr. Frankenstein stuff. No this is more simple. All you need is an ice bath.
Think about it this way… you’ve had one hell of a week. You just feel sluggish, lost your energy and just want to be a couch potato and wilt the night away. Now imagine if someone came along and put your wilted/sluggish booty in a big ol’ bathtub of ice water. First, you’d probably want to beat the heck out of them but what’s your first reaction? SHOCK!!! You IMMEDIATELY perk up and are jolted back to life!
Wilted herbs will have that same reaction, The only difference is you’re shocked pretty much immediately where herbs, depending on the type and stage of wilt(ness) it is in, may take longer. Once they are brought back to life, just dry them off and use immediately.
What types of herbs this works on
The woodier type herbs like rosemary and thyme that tend to have a thicker stalk are an exception as their leaves/stems aren’t as delicate. You want to use this method on the delicate herbs like cilantro, mint, sage, basil, parsley and so forth.
What about greens?
Yep, this same method works on leafy greens, lettuce, and spinach too!
PrintHow to revive wilted herbs
Tuesday’s Tip: Bring those wilted, forgotten herbs back to life with this “shocking” method!
Ingredients
- Wilted herb or leafy green, lettuce or spinach
- Ice cubes
- Water
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with lots of ice and water.
- Check out your herbs for any bruised, damaged or mushy/black leaves. Discard those pieces.
- Remove the remaining leaves/herbs from the stems. The stems you can freeze for futures sauces, soups, etc.
- Take the salvaged herbs and submerge them into the ice bath. Depending on the type of herb it can take 15-60 minutes to revive them. *See the note about Basil!
- Once the herbs have floated to the top all bright green and perky, drain and dry completely. I tend to use paper towels.
- At this point, you’re ready to use. You can store these for 1-2 days in the fridge as long as they are wrapped in paper towels in an airtight container.
Notes
BASIL FYI
Basil is the only really temperamental herb. If you shock (soak it) too long the leaves will turn black. Just shock it just until he leaves start to perk up. At most 30-90 seconds. Next, IMMEDIATELY remove from the water, dry and use. You cannot store these leaves.
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Such a great tip Lori! Thank you so much for sharing!
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I always wondered how come the fancy restaurants keep their herbs so lively and fresh. Thanks for letting us know. Nice tips!
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Hi Eliza!
In most restaurants, herbs are kept in super cold/moisture controlled walk-in coolers. Plus they go through massive amount of herbs in such a short amount of time.
Even though home cooks buy just a bunch at a time, often they don’t go through that bunch so fast.
Best Kitchen Wishes!