I consider myself a better than decent cook. This weekend I made a grilled marinated flank steak which called for a variety of fresh herbs in the marinade. I had lots of herbs leftover, I.e., oregano. basil, thyme and rosemary. Can they be frozen for future use ? Seems a shame to discard which I have done in the past. Is drying them an alternative?
Chop herbs, put in ice tray, cover in olive oil, freeze.
What Jorge said. The benefit is that you have individual portions. Kenji recommends the herbs+oil and then laying it flat in a Ziploc, but I haven’t tried it.
We usually keep these in the freezer because it’s hard to keep fresh herbs on hand at all times (especially in the winter) and the quality is pretty good:
I’ve seen those Corey. They look good and are made in smaller portions.
“What?” ~ Californians
“What?” ~ Manhattanites.
Available at Trader Joe’s. They have several herbs, including ginger, that aren’t pictured. A nice time saver when we’re busy.
Not a stupid question at all btw.
Freezing in olive oil works well. You can also make a pesto, of basil or whatever you like. When ramps were in season, I made a pesto with roasted walnuts and froze that in small containers.
I have fresh basil, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme growing on my window sills year round.
I have parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary.
Let my offer you some sage advice…
You need a sage plant
We have two, including a big Russian sage, but I am not sure if they are meant for cooking.
these are good.
+1 Basil is otherwise not freezer/fridge friendly. It’ll turn black and taste nasty.
Unless ground with salt and olive oil, into a pesto.
Herb butters are another good option for preserving herbs. They keep pretty well for a few weeks.
I’ve found that if I put a bunch of basil in a jar of water in the fridge (typically with a plastic bag loose over the leaves), it will stay fresh for a few days without going black.
It is effectively a cool greenhouse.