Keep it alive on the plant as long as possible if you grow it. When you do cut it, leave the stems long and put them in water. Never put it in the cooler. About all you can expect is a couple of days.
I do grow it in the summer. But now I am purchasing through my Food Supplier. Why can grocery stores keep it in their coolers for days on end? I appears that once I wash my Basil it goes bad rather quickly. So frustrating to say the least!
Make a pesto and freeze it.
We like to Chiffonade our Basil and showcase that we use fresh Basil on our healthy Pizzas and our Caprese sandwiches and in our Pizza sauce. We do make a fresh Pesto out of a lot of it as you well stated. THANKS!
If you are speaking about basil that comes from a purveyor, it usually comes in a large bag. I remove the basil and go through each stem to cut a small 1/8th inch off the end. I place the basil in a jar of water and leave it out at room temperature. You have to watch it and take care of it as a plant.
i understand its not nice to look at. and as a chef you wouldnt be giving that to your customers. but in terms of home-cooking, or putting inside soup or marinades, black is not "off". just like an apple gone brown
Thomas beat me to the punch! This is how I've always seen it done in most restaurants I've worked at. It stays fresher for 2-3 days more, but as you know it is one of those herbs that turns quickly.
It would be prudent to gauge your purchasing needs according to demand. Considering the season and the past couple of weeks' sales, try to calibrate your purchases to reduce spoilage.
I have had good luck keeping my fresh herbs in a cooler or in a cardboard box to keep the herbs from getting too cold in the walk-in. Also, not taking my produce in and out of the fridge... Cold produce comes out, moisture forms on it, produce goes back in the walk-in, that condensation causes produce to rot faster.
Hope this helps.
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