Freezing Fresh Herbs

I have always been mesmerized by herbs. There are so many of them and each one have their unique scent and flavors they give to a dish. My favorites are mint, coriander, thyme, basil and chives. But I rarely buy non Indian herbs and when I do I generally dry / freeze them to use later. I actually like freezing more than drying the herbs. Freezing keeps the freshness and flavor intact and its much easier than drying. Few simple pointers to remember while freezing is to use a ziploc bag. Air tight / plastic containers will just spoil the herbs in a day. And the air dry / pat dry the herbs before you do the first freezing. Don't place them in dripping wet.

I froze parsley and basil this time. There will a slight discoloration after freezing but thats ok. 

You Will Need:

Some Fresh Herbs

A Baking Tray / A Large Plate

Ziploc Bags

The Freezing:

Step 1:

Simply pluck the herbs from its stems. Place them in a colander and run under water. Let them sit on the colander for few mins.

Step 2:

Place the washed herbs on a cloth and gently pat them dry. Or you could leave them under a fan.

Step 3:

Arrange the herbs on to a baking tray and place them in the freezer compartment for approx 45 mins.

Before Freezing

After Freezing

Step 4:

Take the herbs out and transfer them into the ziploc bags immediately. Do not try to compress or squeeze together the herbs. The must be loosely placed in the bags.

Step 5:

Stick them back in the freezer. When you need the herbs you can simply take as much you want and place the rest back into the freezer. 

Basil Leaves Frozen

Happy Cooking!