How To: Clean, Chop, and Store Parsley

Dunk your parsley bunch in a bowl of cold water and swish it around; dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl. For very sandy herbs, repeat with clean water until the bowl is clear.

Remove parsley from bowl and shake off excess water.

Pat parsley dry with paper towels. Set damp paper towels aside to use in storing parsley.

Grasping the base of the bunch, use a chef’s knife to shave leaves off stems at an angle, working away from your body. Only shave off as much parsley as you plan to use immediately.

 Tip: Leave the rubber band on to help keep the parsley together in a bunch

Remove thicker stems, gather leaves in a pile, and slice roughly. Don’t press the parsley leaves too hard; you may bruise them.

For a finer chop, use one hand to hold the tip of the knife on the cutting board while the other hand rocks the knife down and across the leaves; continue until parsley reaches your desired consistency.

 Tip: Don’t over-cut because it can bruise the parsley

 Tip: Use damp paper towels to wrap and uncut herbs and store in plastic bag; refrigerated, they’ll keep for 3 to 5 days.