I’ve always been crazy about fresh herbs—so crazy, in fact, that I used to raid the Cloisters gardens in Manhattan, stealing a sprig of oregano, rosemary, or thyme just to keep myself in supply.

Today I have no need for tactics like that. I’m lucky enough to have my own garden that’s full of many of my favorites: thyme, savory, chives, purple sage, spearmint, lavender, and more. And for those herbs that I just can’t get to thrive in my front yard, I have another convenient (and legitimate) source: the local supermarket. Nowadays, well-stocked groceries often carry herbs like tarragon and marjoram alongside favorites like basil and rosemary.

这种可用性对我来说是一个梦想成真，但是我注意到许多人被这种丰富的选择所吓倒。有多少个热情的厨师（专业人士和业余爱好者）购买新鲜的草药，可能使用一些小树枝，然后继续忘记其余的一堆，直到被干燥，li行或宠坏？我知道很多。他们为什么让这些奇妙的香气在冰箱后面到期？因为他们不知道如何最好地存储和处理它们，也许是因为他们有点害怕使用它们。什么草药和什么食物？除了洒上装饰菜外，您如何使用它们？在烹饪过程中应该添加何时，如何添加它们？

Once you have the answers to those questions, which I’m about to give you, you’ll find yourself reaching for that bundle of herbs more and more often, and throwing them out less and less.

寻找和购买新鲜草药

Supermarkets package fresh herbs in various ways: loose in small plastic boxes, fastened in bunches with rubber bands, or sometimes still growing in a pot. No matter the packaging, look for herbs with vibrant color and aroma (open up those boxes for a sniff), and avoid those that are limp or yellowing, have black spots, or don’t smell totally fresh and appetizing. I like to buy field-grown basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, and dill when possible—as opposed to greenhouse grown—because they’re so much more fragrant. You can recognize field-grown herbs by their larger, hardier stalks and leaves. Some chefs prefer the more tender greenhouse herbs because they make a lovely delicate garnish and because they’re ready to use straight from the bag.

It’s worth exploring other sources for herbs, too, such as Middle Eastern, Latin, and Asian markets, which often carry herbs of higher quality and at lower prices than the supermarket.

Fragile herbs need TLC

Hardy herbs like rosemary, marjoram, and sage will stay green and fragrant for a week or two, as long as they’re refrigerated and don’t get wet. But tender herbs, such as basil, dill, cilantro, tarragon, and chervil, need special attention so they don’t blacken or freeze in the refrigerator.

To keep tender herbs at their best,remove any rubber bands or fasteners. Because the roots draw the moisture from the leaves, it’s important to trim off the root ends and the lower parts of the stems to prevent the tops from wilting. If the roots are large and prominent, you can save them to flavor soups or stocks. (Southeast Asian cooks chop up cilantro roots along with the leaves, while Jewish cooks like to add parsley roots to chicken soup.)

要保持香蒜酱明亮而绿色，be sure your food processor blade is sharp so it cuts without crushing the ingredients (if not, bring it to a knife sharpener). Then add the ingredients in the proper order: fat first, herbs last. I start with the oil and then add the garlic and pine nuts, puréeing them completely. Finally, add the greens, processing them for as short a time as possible so they stay cool and maintain their color.

在香蒜酱中尝试其他草药（意大利语单词简单意思是糊状）。用香菜，南瓜种子，大蒜和陈年的蒙特雷杰克或亚洲奶酪和一点新鲜的绿色智利制作西南香蒜酱。在寒冷的天气中，我制作一个鼠尾草，欧芹和胡桃木香蒜酱，搅拌成一碗丰盛的白豆汤。

修剪但未洗草的草药束在潮湿的纸巾中宽松地包裹，然后将它们放入装满少量空气的重型拉链袋中，垫子垫子。甚至更好，将毛巾包裹的草药整齐地密封在塑料容器中而不会压碎。将草药存放在冰箱中最温暖的部分中，这通常是顶部的架子。每天检查草药，使用那些看起来最不活泼的人，并丢弃任何开始破坏的东西。

冻结新鲜的草药通常会使它们变黑和粘稠，但是如果您用香蒜酱（没有奶酪）或草药黄油来保护它们，例如，它们会没事的。

仅当您准备好使用它们时才洗草because excess moisture shortens their shelf life in the refrigerator. If I can get away without washing them at all, I do. Greenhouse herbs will be cleaner than field-grown and may not need washing. But if the herbs look or feel sandy, I wash them no matter their origin.

要清洗草药，将它们放入一大碗凉水中，然后将它们散发出来以释放砂砾。用手，筛子或撇渣器将草药从水中抬出水中。如果您在碗的底部看到很多砂砾，请在新鲜的水中再次清洗草药。将它们干燥在沙拉纺纱厂中，或用干净的毛巾将它们卷起来轻轻擦干它们。

用锋利的刀切碎或用剪刀剪

一把锋利的刀对于切碎草药是必不可少的。一个沉闷的叶子会粉碎和瘀伤的叶子，使您变黑而不是绿色的结果。我用剪刀剪掉少量的嫩草药，尤其是细香草，它们的丝状纤维很难用刀干净地切割。

草药越嫩，就越接近烹饪时间，就需要切碎它。如果您提前切碎，请用一些空气孔刺穿的保鲜膜盖住草药，然后冷藏它们。您可以将剩下的切碎的草药保存一天左右，但是在使用之前，尤其是欧芹，香菜，罗勒和莳萝之前嗅探它们，切碎时会非常腐烂。

Whether you add the herb whole or chopped, or at the start of cooking rather than at the end, depends on both the herb and the effect you want.

如果您希望草药贡献圆形的背景风味，请在烹饪开始时添加小树枝。Strong, resinous herbs like marjoram, thyme, and savory do best when allowed to mellow during the cooking process. To gently release the flavor oils of an herb in a slow-cooking sauce, soup, or stew, lightly crush the sprig before adding it to the liquid. Leaving the leaves on the stem makes it easy to remove the whole herb later.

要获得更直率的草药味，请切碎草药，然后将其添加在烹饪的尽头。The pungent, unmistakable aroma of chopped cilantro seems to dissipate quickly, so I stir it in directly after cooking, which also helps it to retain its bright green color. Sometimes you’ll want to emphasize an herb’s flavor by adding it both before and after cooking. For my marinara sauce, I add whole sprigs of basil at the start, and then I liven up the basil flavor by adding finely shredded leaves just before taking the sauce off the heat.

Take advantage of the whole herb

当食谱只需要草药植物的一部分时，我提出了保留遗体以供另一种用途的点。如果您不确定哪种食物可以使用哪种食物，请参阅草药和食物搭配for some time-honored combinations.

节省tender stems for stocks and woody ones for the grill.少量地加入嫩的草药茎，以在鸡肉或鱼烟雾中含有温和的粉底味。不要被带走，尤其是在含有大量叶绿素（绿色）等草药中，例如香菜，香菜和莳萝。可以使用坚固的树脂草药的木质茎，代替烤架上的木片。尝试热吸烟（在覆盖的烤架中慢慢烹饪，使烟雾渗透到食物上）纽约牛lo牛排在厚实的迷迭香茎上，就像我过去的餐厅时代一样。源自百里香，鼠尾草，玛乔拉姆，迷迭香和咸味，它们都效果很好。

Deep-fry herb leaves for an elegant, crunchy garnish.Fried flat-leaf or curly parsley is a classic partner for fried fish and seafood. I garnish crab cakes served over a fresh tomato sauce with crispy and tasty fried lovage leaves. Whole sage leaves dipped in a simple Italian flour and water batter, called a pastella, and then fried in olive oil, are a traditional complement to fritto misto (batter-fried meat, seafood, and vegetables).

在季节中搜索草药。Especially delicious are lavender-blue chive blossoms, petals separated and sprinkled on a cold vichyssoise. Sweetly perfumed blue-violet sage and borage blossoms make a seasonal salad garnish. Other blossoms, like tiny white thyme, lavender-blue summer savory, and purple rosemary, taste wonderful mixed with chives and browned butter and then tossed with fresh pasta; sprinkle with grated Parmesan or crumbled fresh goat cheese. I don’t like basil or marjoram blossoms as they tend to be bitter, and the pretty white blossoms of Chinese or garlic chives are too tough to eat.