HOW TO PREPARE HERBS FOR COOKING
For most recipes, unless otherwise directed, mince herbs into
tiny pieces. Chop with a chef's knife on a cutting board or
snip with a kitchen scissors. To speed cutting with a scissors,
cut herbs coarsely into a small bowl or cup and snip back and
forth with your scissors. Some recipes may direct you to cut
large leaves, such as basil, "chiffonnade-style" or into thin
strips. An easy way to do this is to stack several leaves
(about 3 to 5), roll into a tight roll, then cut into thin
(1/16 to 1/8 inch) strips with a sharp knife.
While some recipes call for a sprig or sprigs of herbs,
normally the part of the herb you harvest will be the leaves.
For herbs with sturdier stems, such as marjoram, oregano,
rosemary, sage and thyme, you can strip off the leaves by
running your fingers down the stem from top to bottom. With
small-leaved plants such as thyme, you can use both leaves and
stems for cooking early in the season. Later in the season, as
the stems become tougher, use just the leaves. For herbs with
tender stems, such as parsley and cilantro, it's OK if you snip
some of the stem in with the leaves when you're cutting these
herbs.
Be careful if using a food processor to cut herbs -- it's easy
to turn them to a paste rather than tiny pieces.
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