Tag: store

How to store basil to have it even in winter – Italian Cuisine

How to store basil to have it even in winter


Among the aromatic plants, basil is the one that best represents Mediterranean cuisine. With its unmistakable and pervading scent, it is the ingredient that you cannot do without to give freshness, flavor and color to every dish. Keep it even after the summer? You can, here's how

From spring to late summer there is no balcony or even just a window sill from which the unmistakable terracotta pot in which the basil grows flourishes does not appear. King of aromatic plants, (its name in Greek means royal herb), it has always been used for its therapeutic qualities and to flavor foods. There are about 40 varieties, but the most common are the Genoese basil, very fragrant, and the Neapolitan basil, with a large leaf. Finding it fresh and fragrant in autumn and winter is at least complicated: for this, here are three ideas to keep it and enjoy it longer.

Freeze the leaves

It is a very easy method for storing basil. You have to collect the leaves, remove the seeds, wash them and dab them with paper towels. Once dry you must arrange them on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil and put them in the freezer for about two hours. Once frozen, you can put them gently in an airtight container and put everything in the freezer. When you need them, all you have to do is take the quantity you need. The leaves will retain their scent and color for several months.

Store the leaves in fine salt

Take a resealable jar and fill it with basil leaves previously washed and dried carefully, so that they do not become moldy. Pour over the leaves of the fine salt, making several layers of salt and basil. Fill up to 5 cm from the edge and then cover with more salt. Close the jar and place it in a cool and dry place: the leaves will keep for as long as you want. When you need it, just take them and add salt to the jar.

Freeze a base for pesto

If you want you can prepare one base that will be useful for quickly cooking pesto. Chop the cleaned basil with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place the sauce in a glass container with a lid and freeze. At the time of use, all you have to do is thaw everything and add the parmesan, pecorino, garlic and chopped pine nuts to the sauce. A tip for singles: put the base for the pesto in the ice containers. If necessary, you will thaw only the dose you need.

Incoming search terms:

How to store fruit and vegetables: refrigerator or room temperature? – Italian Cuisine

How to store fruit and vegetables: refrigerator or room temperature?


Here are some tips and advice to ensure a longer and safer life for your fruit and vegetables

Ideal allies for a correct and healthy diet, fruit and vegetables should never be missing in the fridge and pantry. To manage to keep them at their best, guaranteeing their integrity and freshness, is a fundamental step to fully benefit from their wealth of vitamins and minerals. Here are some suggestions to prevent them from spoiling and to contain household waste.

The right calculation of the doses and the containers to use

Don't buy fruit and vegetables in large quantities. Thinking about the real needs and consumption of these foods is the first step to avoiding waste. Be paper envelopes is wicker baskets: using plastic bags and containers to store fruit and vegetables is one of the most frequent and deleterious errors because it compromises their freshness. In particular, leafy vegetables should be kept in paper bags to absorb moisture.

Fridge or room temperature?

There are qualities of vegetables that deteriorate more easily than others, therefore the rule that fresh vegetables should be kept in the refrigerator until the moment of consumption does not always apply. There are in fact some vegetables that must be left at room temperature to prevent the cold from damaging them, such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic and legumes: at temperatures below 7-8 degrees they tend to change color and stain on the skin so it is best to keep them in a paper bag in a cool and dry place in the pantry. Eggplants and courgettes, however, among the most delicate vegetables because they wilt quickly, it is better not to keep them in the refrigerator for more than 4/5 days. In addition, once cooked, the vegetables can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days at most.

Regarding the fruit, out of the refrigerator must be put away the one that has yet to mature, the citrus and the exotic one which risks spoiling with the cold. Kiwis, pears and apples, which can last for weeks, can be stored at room temperature in a large basket. It is important to remember that apples produce ethylene and unless you want to ripen some other product quickly – fruit or vegetables is indifferent – it is better to keep them separate from the rest.

An alternative pantry

It is preferable to avoid leaving fruit and vegetables where the sun shines too long because high temperatures favor maturation. If you have one cellar or balcony, you can keep vegetables and fruit on ad hoc shelves in a shaded and well-sheltered place. Here you can store seasonal vegetables that suffer less like courgettes, squash, cabbage, onions, shallots, potatoes, garlic, apples, persimmons, pears and bananas.

Yes to the freezer

The freezer is undoubtedly a valid ally to avoid waste but to best preserve fruit and vegetables you must clean it by removing the inedible parts, blanch the vegetables for a minute and let them cool and then always divide into portions to have everything ready for use.

Incoming search terms:

How to store artichokes: in the fridge, in the freezer, in oil – Italian Cuisine

How to store artichokes: in the fridge, in the freezer, in oil


From cleaning to cuts, from basic cooking, to tips for using artichoke scraps in simple and waste-free goodness, to more special dishes: the artichokes have been treated in every way. It is essential to know how to store artichokes: fresh, in the freezer and in oil.

Cool or in the fridge

Cut the stems of the artichokes obliquely with a cutter, put them in a jar of water and keep them cool. Or keep them in the fridge, wrapped in damp paper. They last for 2 days.

In the freezer

Blanch the artichokes in wedges for 1 ', drain and let them cool. Place them spaced on a tray, freeze them, bag them and keep them in the freezer for 2-3 months.

In oil

Bring 50% water and vinegar to the boil with pepper, salt and flavorings to taste (garlic, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, shallot …). Boil the artichokes in wedges for 3-4 ', then drain them and let them cool. Collect the artichokes in special sterilized glass preserving jars; cover them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, plug them. Wrap them in towels, dip them in 5 cm of water in a saucepan and boil them for 20 minutes. Check the formation of the vacuum from the hollow that is created on the cap. Eat them within 6-8 months.

Proudly powered by WordPress

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Click here to read more information about data collection for ads personalisation

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Read more about data collection for ads personalisation our in our Cookies Policy page

Close