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I Finally Found Kitchen Tools That Actually Make Chopping Herbs Fast
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items Spending ten minutes mincing basil with a dull knife while dinner burns on the stove is a special kind of frustrating. This list is for home cooks who want fresh herbs in every meal but dread the tedious prep work. Took me two years of buying the wro...
Sections
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Herb Choppers and Mezzalunas That Actually Work
Cutting Boards Built for Herb Prep
Herb Storage So Your Haul Doesn't Wilt in Two Days
Finishing Tools for Fresh Herbs at the Table
Herb Choppers and Mezzalunas That Actually Work
Before these, I was bruising basil leaves with a chef's knife and pretending that was fine. Now I rock a blade back and forth and have a perfect mince before the pasta water even boils.
Grab this if you've been smashing herbs flat with a regular knife. Rocked it over a pile of cilantro and had restaurant-quality mince in about eight seconds. The cover keeps it safe in a messy drawer.
Checkered Chef Salad Chopper Tool
Toss your sad little herb scissors. This thing rolls over parsley and chives and actually cuts them instead of crushing. Perfect for anyone who cooks Italian three nights a week like I do.
Zyliss Fast Cut Herb Tool
Use the matching curved board and the blade follows the shape naturally. My mother-in-law watched me use it once and ordered one that same night. It handles rosemary without scattering it everywhere.
i Kito Mezzaluna Cutting Board Round Small
Keep this one by the stove. It's lightweight enough that my wrist doesn't ache after mincing a giant bunch of dill. Great for people with smaller hands who find big mezzalunas awkward.
Kitchen Mezzaluna Rocking Chopper And Mincing Knife
Swap this in when you need to chop larger volumes of mixed herbs for chimichurri or tabbouleh. The wide blade covers more surface area so you're not chopping forever.
OXO Good Grips 6.22 Qt Salad Spinner
Brought this to a friend's cookout and chopped fresh mint for mojitos in front of everyone. Now three people in that friend group own one. Sturdy handles make a real difference.
Pampered Chef Round Stoneware
Try this if counter space is tight. It folds in half for storage, which sounds gimmicky but actually saved me a drawer slot. Cuts through thick basil stems without dragging.
Joseph Joseph Mezzaluna Herb Chopper
Cutting Boards Built for Herb Prep
I used to mince herbs on a flat board and watch tiny pieces fly onto the floor. These boards solved that problem and my dog stopped eating random bits of rosemary off the tile.
Get the one with the juice groove around the edge. It catches all the little herb bits that normally escape. Wipe it down and it doesn't stain from turmeric or beet greens either.
Totally Bamboo Malibu Cutting Board Juice
Use the non-slip feet on this when you're rocking a mezzaluna hard. My old board used to slide across the counter mid-chop. This one stays planted.
OXO Good Grips Plastic Prep Cutting Board - Reversible
Pair this with any curved blade. The grippy corners hold it in place on wet counters, which matters when you're prepping herbs right after washing them.
Dexas Non-Slip Grippboard Cutting Board sized 12"x18"
Splurge on this if you cook daily. Had mine for over a year and the surface still looks clean. Herbs don't stick to it the way they cling to cheap plastic boards.
Open Box John Boos Maple Wood Edge Grain Cutting
Switch to this when you're doing meal prep for the whole week. Enough room to mince five different herbs without them mixing together. Fits over the sink for easy cleanup.
GORILLA GRIP, Cutting Board, Oversized
Toss this in the dishwasher, which you cannot do with most wood boards. For the person who hates hand-washing anything after a long dinner prep session.
Epicurean All-In-One Cutting Board with Non-Slip Feet
Snag this as your beater board for messy jobs. Cheap enough that you won't cry when it gets stained by pesto, and it's big enough to actually work on.
Farberware 12-inch x 18-inch Poly Utility Cutting Board
Herb Storage So Your Haul Doesn't Wilt in Two Days
Nothing worse than buying a gorgeous bunch of basil on Sunday and finding brown mush by Wednesday. These containers bought me an extra week, sometimes more.
Stick your herbs in this with a little water and they last at least ten days in the fridge. Basil that used to turn black by Thursday was still perky the following Monday.
Progressive International, Herb Keeper, PKS-930, White
Use the basket insert so stems sit in water without the leaves getting soggy. Figured this out after killing about twenty bunches of cilantro the wrong way.
OXO Good Grips GreenSaver Herb Keeper, 1.8 Qt
Keep dill and chives in here and forget about them for a week. The vent in the lid actually does something. Came back from a trip and my parsley was still green.
Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Savers
Grab a few of these and stand herb bunches upright in water like flowers. Old school method but it works. Way cheaper than specialty containers if you're on a budget.
Ball Wide Mouth Glass Mason Jars with Lids
Wrap herbs in a damp paper towel, slide them in, and squeeze out the air. Not fancy but it kept my mint alive for nine days last month. Stock up because you'll use these constantly.
Ziploc Quart Food Storage Slider Bags, 42 Count
Try these if you're skeptical. I was too. But my basil lasted noticeably longer than in regular bags. For anyone who buys herbs at the farmers market and needs them to survive until midweek.
DEBBIE MEYER Green Food Storage Bags for sale
Toss one of these in the fridge door. It's small enough to fit without rearranging everything. Perfect for people who only buy one herb at a time and just need it to last.
Joie Tomato Fresh Saver Pod, Red
Finishing Tools for Fresh Herbs at the Table
Chopping is only half the job. Getting fresh herbs onto the plate looking good instead of wilted and sad took a few extra tools I didn't know I needed.
Use this to strip thyme and rosemary off the stem in one pull. Before this I was picking tiny leaves off one by one like some kind of medieval punishment.
Herb Stripper Tool Stainless Steel Leaf Zipper for Kale
Snag this if you want pre-stripped herbs ready to sprinkle. It keeps them fresh and upright in the fridge so you can just grab and go when plating.
CUISIPRO Herb Keeper, Large, Clear
Pair this with frozen herbs for a fine snow of basil or mint over pasta. Sounds weird but frozen herbs grate beautifully and melt right into hot food.
Microplane Premium Classic Zester Grater - White
Bring this to the table and grind fresh parsley directly onto soup bowls. Guests always comment on it. Way more fun than a regular grinder and the herbs come out fluffy.
Norpro Nut and Spice Grinder, Safe Enclosed Stainless
Keep a pair in the drawer for quick snips of chives over scrambled eggs. Five blades cut simultaneously so you get even pieces without a cutting board.
OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Kitchen & Herbs Scissors
Switch to these when regular scissors leave herbs stuck between the blades. The little comb attachment pushes everything out. Whoever designed that deserves a raise.
5-Blade Herb Cutter Scissors with Safety Cover
Get this for making fresh pesto or crushing herbs into marinades. The rough interior actually grips the leaves instead of letting them spin around uselessly. Heavy enough to do the work for you.
Ironwood Gourmet Olmec Mortar and Pestle, Acacia Wood