How to freeze summer herbs the right way so they taste almost fresh come winter

The season for fresh herbs like basil, dill, parsley and cilantro is short-lived, but their flavor can be preserved all winter long with a simple freezing trick. According to culinary experts, the process takes just a couple of minutes, requires no special equipment, and beats drying hands down when it comes to preserving taste and aroma.

Dried herbs lose much of their fragrance and depth of flavor, while frozen greens hold onto their color, smell and most of their taste — coming far closer to fresh herbs than dried ones ever could. Freezing does break down the cell structure of the leaves, so once thawed, the herbs won't have that crisp, fresh texture anymore — but in soups, sauces and other cooked dishes, that difference is completely unnoticeable. What's more, freezing is much quicker than drying, which can take several days for some herbs, and it's a great way to use up a surplus harvest that would otherwise go to waste.

The most popular method is freezing herbs in ice cubes. Chop the greens or leave the leaves whole, fill ice cube trays about half to two-thirds full, then top up with water or olive oil, freeze overnight, and pop the cubes into a bag. Basil, parsley, dill or mint frozen in water are perfect for soups, sauces and broths — just drop a cube straight into the pot. Herbs frozen in olive oil make a great base for sautéing or braising vegetables — a cube of oil with basil or thyme, for instance, is ideal for Italian tomato sauces.

The second method is flat-freezing whole leaves, which works well if you want to keep something like mint intact for garnishing dishes or summer cocktails. Spread the leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet so they don't touch, freeze for a few hours, then transfer to a bag or container — this way they won't stick together, and you can grab exactly as much as you need. This method also works great for whole sprigs of rosemary or thyme: freeze them whole and toss them straight into the roasting pan with meat, still frozen.

The third option is herb butter, which locks in flavor while giving you a ready-made aromatic seasoning. Soften some butter, mix it with chopped herbs — garlic or lemon zest optional — roll it into a log in plastic wrap, and freeze. Just slice off a piece and drop it onto a hot pan, a steak, or boiled potatoes. Classic combinations include parsley-garlic butter for grilling, basil-parmesan for pasta, and dill-lemon for fish.

Not all herbs freeze equally well. Basil, parsley, dill, mint, oregano, thyme and rosemary freeze beautifully and work well in cooked dishes all winter. Basil has one quirk — it darkens quickly after thawing, so if appearance matters, it's best frozen in oil or turned into pesto first. Leafy parsley and cilantro behave similarly — freezing works fine, but the result looks darker and less appealing, though that hardly matters for soups and sauces. Chives, on the other hand, go noticeably soft after freezing and lose their signature crunch — they're still usable in cooked dishes, but they won't be winning any beauty contests as a garnish.

Frozen herbs keep their flavor and aroma for roughly six months to a year. After that, they won't spoil, but they'll gradually lose their potency. Experts recommend labeling bags with the date and herb type, since in the freezer, all those little cubes tend to look exactly the same.

Around Prague, based on reporting by apetitonline.cz