Why does my fresh basil turn black?

[abefroman]

Why does my fresh basil turn black?

I pick it from the garden, rinse it, chop it and by the time I put it on the plate it has turned black on the edges where it was cut.

How can I prevent that?

[nowIamone]

Respect your Basil!!!
Be very gentle with it, it bruises so easy. Basil doesn't actually chop, as it bruises in the process. That's why you take the whole leaves, stack them, roll them up and use the sharpest, thinnest knife you have and slice the little basil rolls as thin as possible. They still will look dark green black, but it somehow seems more acceptable.

[bughut]

I agree nowIamone, Basil need to be used at the very last minute and used as above or torn, never bruised and never chopped and left for a while till you you need it.
When making a tomato sauce, always add the basil after you turn off the heat just before service.

[foodpump]

Your basil is turning black because it is oxidiizing, same as with an apple or potato. Even by rtaring the leaves the exposed new surfaces will go black becasue they are exposed to the air around them--same as with a fresh cut apple.

You can't prevent this but you can slow it down, here's an old trick I picked up: Coat/drizzle the basil leaves with oil, now stack them up and roll them up a'la cigarette style, now slice them up. The knife blade becomes coated with oil and as it cuts, it coats the fresh cut with oil. The oil provides a barrier so the air can't get at the cut and turn it black.

[abefroman]

Originally Posted by foodpump

Your basil is turning black because it is oxidiizing, same as with an apple or potato. Even by rtaring the leaves the exposed new surfaces will go black becasue they are exposed to the air around them--same as with a fresh cut apple.

You can't prevent this but you can slow it down, here's an old trick I picked up: Coat/drizzle the basil leaves with oil, now stack them up and roll them up a'la cigarette style, now slice them up. The knife blade becomes coated with oil and as it cuts, it coats the fresh cut with oil. The oil provides a barrier so the air can't get at the cut and turn it black.

Thanks, just tried that and it worked.

[DC Sunshine]

Yes you do need to respect your basil. When you wash it pat it gently dry, don't squash it. And as bughut says, tear it into the dish at last minute - or as per what foodpump says, I'm glad to hear back that it worked for you - I'll have to try that too. I like my basil green.

[shel]

Also, don't wash your basil. Just run a lightly damp paper towel over the leaves if you feel the basil must be cleaned.

Shel

[david_bernard]

I have the same problem....

[-Cp]

Originally Posted by foodpump

Your basil is turning black because it is oxidiizing, same as with an apple or potato. Even by rtaring the leaves the exposed new surfaces will go black becasue they are exposed to the air around them--same as with a fresh cut apple.

You can't prevent this but you can slow it down, here's an old trick I picked up: Coat/drizzle the basil leaves with oil, now stack them up and roll them up a'la cigarette style, now slice them up. The knife blade becomes coated with oil and as it cuts, it coats the fresh cut with oil. The oil provides a barrier so the air can't get at the cut and turn it black.

That's a great tip - thank you!

[Someday]

There is also a technique called the "backslice" which is kind of like a reverse slicing motion with the knife. Don't know why, but it seems to help the oxidation as well...and like stated earlier, use a very very sharp knife. Don't push on the basil, just easily glide the knife across the board and the herb.

[Chef Ladybug]

Foodpump, coating your basil leaves with oil is a great idea. Now I have an experimental sort of question I'd like to run by you. I've heard of coating your sliced apples with lemon juice in order to keep them from turning brown. Would lemon juice work on basil, as well? As much as I love basil (it's one of my favorite herbs), I don't grow them at home and thus never had a chance to try and see how my idea would work out.

Questionably,
Chef Ladybug.

[ChefTorrie]

Originally Posted by Chef Ladybug

Foodpump, coating your basil leaves with oil is a great idea. Now I have an experimental sort of question I'd like to run by you. I've heard of coating your sliced apples with lemon juice in order to keep them from turning brown. Would lemon juice work on basil, as well? As much as I love basil (it's one of my favorite herbs), I don't grow them at home and thus never had a chance to try and see how my idea would work out.

Questionably,
Chef Ladybug.

I am not foodpump, but I think I can help you. Stick with the oil, and not the lemon juice, YES, it works awesome on apples and pairs and suck, but thats cuz they have much more acidic enzymes in them than basil, so, although ive never tried it, and it may work stop the oxidation, it will alter the herb.

[Chef Ladybug]

Thank you, Chef Torrie

[RAS1187]

We wrap ours very gently and keep it in a plastic "to go" container.

We still end up throwing out some basil here and there, but generally this works for us.

[Jock]

Originally Posted by RAS1187

We wrap ours very gently and keep it in a plastic "to go" container.

We still end up throwing out some basil here and there, but generally this works for us.

Yeah, so do I. I had noticed that the basil we buy from Trader Joe's comes in a plastic "clam shell" to go container lasts much longer in the fridge than any other method of storing.

One other thing, if you are making pesto, blanching the basil for a minute or so first will keep the pesto nice and green longer.

Jock