QUICK PREP TIP: REVIVING TIRED HERBS
We rarely use an entire bunch of herbs at once. Inevitably, a few days later they look less than fresh, and we have to throw them out and start all over. Is there a way to revive tired herbs? With a little research, we found that soaking herbs in water restores the pressure of the cell contents against the cell wall, causing them to become firmer as the dehydrated cells plump up. So, to test the theory, we purposely let several bunches of parsley, cilantro, and mint sit in the refrigerator until they became limp, sorry-looking versions of their former selves, then we tried bringing the herbs back to life by soaking them in tepid and cold water. We found that trimming the stems, then soaking the herbs for 10 minutes in cold water perks them up better than soaking them in tepid water. These herbs had a fresher look and an improved texture.