The Herb Edition...
And How I Keep Them Alive
If you walk into my kitchen on any given day and open the fridge, you’d find one thing that never changes: herbs. And lots of them. In my opinion, herbs can make or break a dish more than almost anything else.
Maybe you are an herb pro, but if you are in the camp of them living and die in the veggie drawer or you don’t have a clue what to get, here are some of my favs and how I take care of them. Just knowing the basics can go a long way.
The roster
My go-to seven
These are the herbs I keep on rotation, always. If my fridge doesn’t have at least four of these at any given time, something has gone wrong (lol).
Italian parsley
Cilantro
Basil
Mint
Oregano
Rosemary
Thyme
Italian parsley and cilantro are my constants — they’re in almost everything. A few of my favorite uses for parsley: in a salad, in meatballs, in my go-to chimichurri sauce, or a sprinkle on almost any meal that just needs a little something (give it a try this week on your favorite meal and see if it adds to the flavor of your food). Cilantro is such a star. From curries, to tacos, to an Asian chicken burger, it changes food from bland to wow! Basil, mint, and oregano come in when I’m cooking Italian, Mediterranean, or anything that calls for that bright, aromatic lift. Try putting basil or mint sprinkled over your favorite salad or add oregano to a pesto or marination with your meat of choice. Rosemary and thyme round out the group, especially for roasted dishes, proteins, and anything slow-cooked.
Storage
Stop killing your herbs
Here’s the thing about being a private chef — I often go through my herbs the same day I buy them. That’s the nature of the job. But I know most of you aren’t cooking like that, which means storage actually matters. And the number one mistake I see? Leaving them in the plastic bag they came in.
That bag is basically a slow death sentence for fresh herbs. They wilt, they sweat, they get forgotten in the back of the veggie drawer. So let’s fix that.
The mason jar method
Parsley · Cilantro · Basil · Mint
Trim the stems and stand them upright in a mason jar with about an inch or two of water, like flowers. Store in the fridge. Change the water every couple of days and they’ll last up to two weeks.
The damp cloth method
Rosemary · Thyme · Oregano
Wrap loosely in a slightly damp paper towel or cloth, then slide into a reusable zip bag. These hardier herbs don’t need water — they just need a little humidity and room to breathe. I like the reusable silicone bags for this; better for the environment and they last forever.
**If you don’t have room in the fridge for several mason jars, wrap them all in the damp paper towel and store in a ziplock. It won’t last as long as the mason jar, but will definitely last longer than leaving in the plastic bag.
The visibility rule: If you can’t see your herbs, you won’t use them. Don’t bury them in the veggie drawer. Put your mason jars front and center in the fridge — they look beautiful and they’ll actually get used. Out of sight truly is out of mind when it comes to fresh herbs.
Fresh vs. dried
The rule nobody tells you
Every cooking show will tell you fresh herbs are always better.
Here’s my personal rule however: dried herbs belong in the heat, fresh herbs belong at the end. When you’re building a cooked sauce — a marinara, a braise, a soup — dried herbs can withstand the long cooking time and actually bloom beautifully in that environment. Fresh herbs added early will just turn grey and lose everything that makes them special. There are two exceptions to the rule: rosemary and thyme. They do thrive in a braised meat or stew situation.
I use dried oregano in my tortilla soup. Dried Italian herbs go straight into my marinara. They hold up better under heat.
Fresh herbs are for finishing. For brightness. For that pop of flavor right before the plate hits the table. Fresh cilantro on tacos. Fresh parsley on pasta. Fresh basil torn over a caprese salad.
And one more thing: dried is ALWAYS better than nothing. I’ll use dried dill in a tzatziki if I’m out of fresh. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will still be delicious. Don’t let the absence of fresh herbs stop you from adding dried ones.
Herb spotlight
Rosemary: the one I trust for more than cooking
Of all seven herbs on my roster, rosemary is the one I think about beyond just flavor. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory — one of the most well-documented among culinary herbs. When I’m fighting something off or feeling run down, I’ll add a sprig to my immune tea (have you tried making from a recent post on Kitchen Medicine?. It adds an earthy, almost piney depth that works beautifully in a hot drink.
Most people only think of rosemary with roasted chicken or lamb. But it’s capable of so much more. Try it in a simple olive oil bread dip. Steep it in honey. Add a small sprig to your next pot of beans. It’s one of those herbs that rewards experimentation.
Recipe
The summer salad I make on repeat
This is the dish I make when I want to show someone what a single herb can do to a simple recipe. The mint here isn’t a garnish — it’s the whole point. It transforms what would be a perfectly nice salad into something that tastes like summer in a bowl.
Cucumber, Peach & Mint Salad
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced
Large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of toasted pine nuts
Flaky salt to finish
Toss everything together just before serving. Add a protein of your choice — grilled chicken, burrata, or sliced prosciutto all work beautifully. Serves 2–4.
That’s it. No complicated technique. No hard-to-find ingredients. Just good produce, a generous hand with the mint, and the confidence to keep it simple.
Is there an herb you can’t live without? Would love to hear what are your go-to’s!! Now go grab some herbs, plop in some mason jars and add a few sprinkles to your next meal. You won’t regret it!