Wednesday, March 12

Kitchen Tips: Chopping Basil

First off, I apologize for my lack of posts this week...with Nate's PhD defense fast approaching and my own freelance work picking up on top of that, I've been a bit neglectful of my TWFD friends! Please stay patient the next few weeks - I'll try to post as much as I can!


Today's tip is another one of those things I should have figured out LONG ago but only discovered in the last few years. I used to tear up my basil by hand whenever I made pizza...or just chopped it very poorly. Then one day I discovered a great way to chop it up...it is NOT an original idea, but it sure made life easier. So, if you're like me and haven't yet put 2 and 2 together, this post should be helpful!

How to cut up basil the awesome way:

Stack your leaves.


Roll them up.


"Slice" the basil roll.


Voila!


If you need your basil even more chopped, just run your knife through the sliced roll the opposite direction a few times, before you fluff it and turn it into pretty ticker-tape confetti.

Compliments to the amazing one-handed basil chopper for modeling. Okay, the other hand was holding the camera...sorry there were no real action shots. Kind of tricky with only two hands. :)

5 comments:

Diana said...

Ahh, the chiffonade...one of my favorite cooking techniques!

jane maynard said...

ahh, the real name for what I'm describing! :) glad you commented!

I love "chiffonading" - makes me feel like a chef, even when I'm clueless. :)

Sassafrass Balboa said...

Photos are so good, I can smell the basil!

Bill from Jersey said...

Is that pronounced shiffo-nodding or chiffo-nayding?

jane maynard said...

I say nodding. sounds fancier. :)