It’s no real secret that a large part of throwing a successful dinner party is making your dishes look impressive while actually going to as little effort as possible. Using fresh herbs instead of dry is one way to do this.
Unless you grow them yourselves, this will mean buying them at the supermarket. This brings us to a problem everybody has: a packet usually contains at least twice as much as you need for a meal, and you’re lucky if soft herbs (basil, mint, etc.) last more than a few days without wilting. Once this happens, they’re useless as garnish or in salads and don’t even look all that good in sauces.
The key to extending their lifespan is to keep them in the fridge, upright, with the stems wet and the leaves dry. Unlike with dry herbs, though, the herbs are still alive to some extent; they actually suck up water, so they can remain firm and appealing for longer. At the same time, moisture on the leaves encourages microbial growth, making them decay faster.
You can keep herbs fresh by storing them in glasses of water, which will keep them crispy and green for about three times as long. This works well enough, but these containers let you do it a lot less messily.
In the first place, they look quite modern. The clear lengthwise lid gives it the impression of being hygienic, lets you see what’s inside, and locks in place to keep the humidity at an optimum level. It also prevents anything from dripping onto your herbs or squashing them by accident, or the water spilling out if you knock one over. It’s not completely watertight, though, so don’t try laying them on their sides.
The size (11″ tall and 3½” across, including the spout used for filling and draining) should allow it to fit well in most refrigerator doors. On the other hand, this will be too small to accommodate a large bunch of herbs; you may want to split these (each set comes with three herb holders).
At the end of the day, this product really does little better than your putting your herbs in a glass of water, or even wrapping some wet paper towels around the stems and tying off the end with a plastic bag. It does make organizing your fridge easier, though, and the clean-looking design will appeal to many people.
