Is It Necessary to Stem Herbs?

Do You Take the Time to Stem Herbs?

April 29, 2010

Whenever I watch Giada de Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, or Ina Garten on the Food Network, I'm always a little surprised at their use of herb stems. None of them take the time to remove the leaves from the stem and simply chop the whole thing. For some reason, I don't like to include stems and always take the time to pick the leaves off of softer herbs like basil, sage, parsley, and cilantro. I'm wondering, is this a weird habit that I alone practice? How do you feel about herb stems?

10 Comments

Segat1 3 years

I pick the leaves off the woody herbs, but chop most of the stem for the juicier ones. Sometimes when I buy too much, I make a quick whiz of the leftovers (like cilantro) with some olive oil and salt, so it's like a firm paste, then i freeze them so if i need a little bit, then its right there in the freezer.

pharm_chick 3 years

i chop up the part thats like, the root; i buy cilantro and mint in indian stores and they sell it that way. once its clean and any rotten leaves are picked off, i wrap it in a paper towel and keep it in the cooler. or this great metal herb storage container with holes for aeration

crazykittylady 3 years

I pick the leaves, but I save the stems in bags in the freezer for use when I make stock.

AmberHoney 3 years

Any cilantro lover will tell you - use the stems. Do a taste test yourself, a ton of flavor! Agree with Spectra, I think it is wasteful; even though I grow all my own herbs.

Spectra 3 years

I discard the stems for the tougher things like thyme and rosemary, but when I'm using basil, cilantro, parsley, etc., I use the stems as well. They add a lot of flavor and I think it's wasteful to not use them at all.

POPSUGAR Food 3 years

Yes, I thought everyone did! I guess it's a contentious point. Some people think stems have no flavor, while others think it has plenty of flavor.

3 years

I always include the stems: my grandmother used to cook for us while I was growing up and she always said that the stems contain the most flavor. And when I started cooking myself, I realized she was so right. So I always use the stems whether it's herbs or veggies such as spinach and broccoli. It makes all the difference in flavor.

courtneyd 3 years

It just depends for me. Things like parsley and cilantro, I'll just chop the stems and leaves, and pull out any big chunks of stem I see before using it. Basil, thyme, rosemary - those are all so easy to pull the leaves off, so I do separate leaves/stems.

laurenot 3 years

Only if it's necessary for presentation! http://gnoshings.wordpress.com

girlA 3 years

I don't like using the stems either--I always remove the leaves.

Link Love

10 Comments