The Condiment To Spruce Up With Wilted Herbs
Herbs are an important component of cooking. MasterClass explains that this greenery adds both flavor and fragrant smells to your favorite recipes. Whether you are using the dried or fresh variety, herbs will enhance your eating experience. Cilantro adds a peppery spiciness to Mexican and Thai-inspired dishes while herbs like oregano impart sweetness to Italian food and, per the Spruce Eats, rosemary provides an earthy piney flavor to bread, oils, pasta, vegetables, and proteins. Herbs can make all the difference.
However, if you are a fan of fresh herbs, you may have discovered they don't have a long shelf life. That bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley you bought at the grocery store at the beginning of the work week can start to look droopy and shriveled within a matter of a few days. MasterClass notes that if you store your fresh herbs in a plastic grocery bag in the crisper drawer, you place them at risk of being exposed to their two mortal enemies: too much moisture and air. This often leads to their quick demise, resulting in brown, mushy herbs sooner than needs be. But never fear if your herbs do start to look a little wilted and forlorn, there is a condiment you can use to spruce them up and give them new life.
Create an herby mayo
According to LifeHacker, if you find you have some less-than-fresh herbs on your hands, don't throw them out. Instead, try using them to create an herby and classic mayonnaise. LifeHacker says that even if your herbs look like a hot mess, there is still flavor left in them. The site notes that if you are working with soft, "tender" herbs, you can chop up the stems and leaves and add them to your homemade or store-bought mayo. But if you are working with fresh thyme or rosemary, you will have to remove the leaves from their stem before adding them.
However, if you have any reservations about using herbs that look well past their prime, Food Waste Feast hopes to appease those fears. The food site explains that while fresh herbs taste amazing in salads or as a garnish when they start to age, you can put them in pretty much anything. However, Food Waste Feast does offer a caveat to this guidance. They say if your herbs have turned brown or slimy, it is best to dispose of them. Otherwise, you can not only use herbs in mayo but in oils and butter as well.