Freezing whole parsley allows you to save the chopping step for later.
Freezing whole sections of parsley, rather than chopping it into usable pieces, makes the freezing process less of a hassle and eliminates the need to spend time mincing the parsley. You need to treat the parsley properly before freezing it, or you could end up with bitter-tasting parsley after thawing it. Don't be surprised if the frozen parsley comes out of the freezer looking less colorful and tasty than when you put it in, as this is common in frozen herbs.
Instructions
1. Rinse off the fresh parsley in cool water to remove any dirt or bugs.
2. Hang the parsley by the stems in the cooking tongs. Dunk the parsley leaves in the pot of boiling water for several seconds - this is known as blanching. Watch for the parsley color to get brighter as it blanches. This shouldn't take more than several seconds.
3. Lay out the paper towels on a flat surface.
4. Take the parsley out of the water. Lay the leaves on the paper towels and use more paper towels to gently dry the leaves. Allow them to cool on their own and air dry. You may use the kitchen knife and cutting board to chop off the stems of the parsley before freezing, if desired.
5. Place the parsley leaves in the plastic freezer bags. The bags should be fairly small and only contain enough leaves for what you intend to use at one time.
Tags: paper towels, before freezing, Freezing whole, parsley leaves, several seconds