Spices/Herbs in Ice Cubes

[sunny1]

Hi.

Just wanting to share an experiment... I read quite a while ago that some top chefs freeze finey chopped spices/herbs for winter use, and for salads and what have you, in ice cubes.

So I chopped basil really fine, and put 1 teaspoon into the tray cups, filled with water and froze it. Hope to try it out this weekend.

Any feedback on this method?

Thanks, B.

[Pat Meadows]

I do it. It's fine: it doesn't keep the texture of course, but it keeps all that good fresh basil taste. Then you can just toss the basil-ice-cube in sounds or stews or pasta sauce or whatever you're cooking.

I use the blender though: I blend the basil leaves and water together into a thick slurry, then freeze. This is probably faster than chopping them by hand. Or you could use a stick-blender (hand-held blender) or a food processor.

Pat

[Pat Meadows]

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH - spellcheck run amok! Soups, soups!

Pat