Some kitchen habits survive because they’re genuinely brilliant. Others just seem to stick because they were popularized by a famous cook. Ina Garten is one such chef who will always have my full attention when it comes to kitchen hacks. But when I first read about her preferred method for storing fresh herbs, I’ll admit I was skeptical.
Still, this is Ina we’re talking about. The woman has convinced generations of home cooks that “store-bought is fine” and that the simplest dishes can still be elegant. So I decided to test her herb-storage method against my usual routine to see whether the salad spinner step actually made a difference.
What is the best way to keep herbs fresh, according to Ina?
On her “Ask Ina” page, Ina explains that the best way to keep herbs fresh is to wash them, dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner, and then store them in the refrigerator with a slightly damp paper towel. Simple enough. But I immediately got stuck on one detail: If the herbs are ultimately sitting in a damp paper towel anyway, why bother drying them first?
The idea is to remove excess surface moisture while still keeping the herbs hydrated enough to avoid wilting. Scientifically, it does make sense. Herbs stored soaking wet tend to rot or blacken more quickly, especially delicate ones like basil. Herbs stored completely dry wilt faster. Ina’s method aims for the middle ground: clean, mostly dry herbs stored in a lightly humid environment.
The salad spinner itself is really just a fast way to remove lingering water after washing. I originally assumed it might be too rough for softer herbs, but it turned out to be surprisingly gentle—and much faster than blotting every leaf dry with a paper towel over the sink while questioning my life choices. I also appreciated that this wasn’t one of those viral kitchen hacks that required buying a single-purpose gadget. Most of us already have a salad spinner in the pantry. (Though, at the moment, mine spends most of its time drying romaine for Caesar salad croissants.)
Does salad spinning herbs actually keep them fresh?
To test Ina’s method, I did a side-by-side comparison using fresh basil.
For the first batch, I followed my usual routine: I rinsed the basil, gave it a good, firm shake over the sink, then wrapped it in a paper towel and refrigerated it in a plastic bag. For the second batch, I followed Ina’s method, using a salad spinner to dry the basil thoroughly before storing it with a damp paper towel in a separate plastic bag.
At first, the two batches looked almost identical. By the end of the week, though, I was ready to issue a formal apology to the Barefoot Contessa for second-guessing her method. The basil stored using Ina’s method still developed a few dark spots by the end of the test, but the leaves stayed slightly firmer overall and showed less dramatic blackening than my usual method. One leaf in the “non-Ina” batch developed a particularly large dark patch (though, to be fair, basil can be a little unpredictable, especially once refrigeration enters the picture).
The difference wasn’t dramatic enough to convince me that I’ve been storing herbs incorrectly my entire adult life. Basil is still basil, seemingly capable of deteriorating when you look away for a second too long. But the salad-spinner batch did hold up a little better overall.
What surprised me most was realizing that the spinner itself isn’t really the magic trick. The important part is the moisture control. And honestly, if a quick spin buys me even one extra pesto night before the basil starts blackening, that’s probably enough reason to keep doing it.
Related:
- Ina Garten’s Secret Ingredient for Her Panna Cotta Is Very On-Brand
- The Secret Ingredient Ina Garten Uses to Add Flavor to Anything
- The Simple Table-Setting Rule Ina Garten Swears By
