On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 759

the air, or to reaction-causing heat or light To preserve herbs and spices, their tissues must be killed and dried out, so that they don’t rot, but as gently as possible, so that water is removed without removing all the flavor Then the dried material must be kept in closed containers, in a dark, cool place As a general rule, herbs and spices keep best in opaque glass containers in the freezer (the container should be warmed to room temperature before opening to prevent moisture in the air from condensing onto cold flavorings) In practice, most cooks keep their flavorings at room temperature As long as they aren’t regularly exposed to strong light, whole spices keep well for a year, and ground spices for a few months The fine particles of ground spices have a large surface area and lose their aroma molecules to the air more rapidly, while whole spices retain the aromas within intact cells Storing Fresh Herbs Storing Fresh Herbs Many herbs are young, delicate stems and leaves, and so more fragile than other produce Because their stems have been cut, they’re likely to be producing the wound hormone ethylene, which in a closed container will accumulate and trigger general deterioration Most are best stored in the refrigerator in partly open plastic bags, loosely wrapped in cloth or paper that will absorb moisture and prevent microbes from growing rapidly on wet leaves Because they come from warm climates, basil and perilla suffer chilling injury in the refrigerator and so are best kept at room temperature, with freshly cut stems immersed in water The flavor of many herbs is well preserved by freezing, though the tissues suffer damage from ice crystals and become unattractively dark and limp when thawed Immersion in oil, which protects the tissue from oxygen, also works for a few weeks, after which much of ... Many herbs are young, delicate stems and leaves, and so more fragile than other produce Because their stems have been cut, they’re likely to be producing the wound hormone ethylene, which in a closed container will accumulate and trigger general... Because they come from warm climates, basil and perilla suffer chilling injury in the refrigerator and so are best kept at room temperature, with freshly cut stems immersed in water The flavor of many herbs is well preserved... The flavor of many herbs is well preserved by freezing, though the tissues suffer damage from ice crystals and become unattractively dark and limp when thawed Immersion in oil, which protects the tissue from oxygen, also works for a few weeks, after which much of