Fresh Basil: Tips on How to Store and Cut Leaves

September 14, 2024
Chuck Sillari

If you asked anyone at Mortadella Head to name something that I am a total pain in the ass about, it’s the way we store and cut our fresh basil.

It’s definitely one of the most popular herbs that we use here in the restaurant. When I see someone putting it in the fridge or cutting it the wrong way I lose my mind.

There’s a good reason why I’m obsessed with how we treat our basil. It’s so important to our business!

We use a lot of basil at the restaurant, specifically the type known as Genovese basil.

This article should be helpful to people who have big beautiful basil plants in their garden and people who buy their basil in the grocery store.

So whether it’s the growing season and you have a ton of fresh cut basil or it’s winter and you have leftover basil from the supermarket you should pay attention.

How to Store Fresh Basil

Here is a great way to keep your basil fresh for a long time. This is how I store basil at home and in the restaurant.

It keeps the basil leaves green and sturdy for at least a week and usually longer. I usually get the basil to stay fresh for a couple of weeks when I use this method.

Here’s a video Sebby made explaining the best way to store fresh basil.

Step One

Take a bunch of fresh basil and cut off about a half inch at the bottom of the stems. Giving the basil stems a fresh cut is important. It’s just like when you bring home a bouquet of flowers.

Step Two

Take a wide mouth jar, vase or plastic container and fill it with cold water. You basically want a glass of water large enough to hold the bunch of basil.

Step Three

Take the freshly trimmed basil and put in the glass of water making sure the stems are in the water. I like the water to be halfway up the stems, so add a little more water if necessary.

Step Four

Take a clear plastic bag that’s big enough to fit over the entire bouquet of basil leaves and cover it. Make sure the leaves are completely covered. The bag will act as a little greenhouse for the basil.

Step Five

Place the basil on the counter or on a shelf at room temperature. It should be a well lit area, but not in direct sunlight.

A simple tip is to change the water out every couple of days.

In my experience this is the best way to store fresh basil.

Putting fresh basil in the fridge will cause the leaves to turn dark and wilt. You don’t want that to happen.

How To Cut Fresh Basil

I think it’s really important to cut basil the correct way. I prefer to slice it into thin little ribbons called chiffonade.

Here’s a video so you can see how I cut basil.

When I am going to cut basil I wait until the last possible moment to pick the leaves off the stems. This is the best way to get the most aroma of the essential oils.

The correct way to pick basil from the plant is to pinch the individual leaves from the top of the plant.

After I pick the leaves I wash them and dry them with a paper towel. I just pat them lightly.

Then I lay the leaves flat on a cutting board, stacking them on top of each other.

I put the big leaves on the bottom and the small leaves on top.

Then I roll the stack of basil leaves up really tight.

Finally I take a sharp chef’s knife and slice the rolled basil leaves into thin little ribbons. I make sure I use a sharp knife so I get a good clean cut.

How To Grow Basil

Basil is really easy to grow. You don’t need a big garden. All you need is a small pot and you’re ready to grow.

Basil is an annual herb so it won’t come back next year.

If you grow your own, you can start your seedlings indoors in early Spring. Then after the last frost, in late Spring you can plant them outside.

I find that the best time to plant basil outside is around Memorial Day. This is both for garden beds and pots. You don’t need your own garden to grow basil. A window sill with full sun is all the space you really need.